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Table of Contents

Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................... 2


Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Background ................................................................................................................................................... 8
County CYS agencies ............................................................................................................................... 12
Audit: ChildLine Shortages .................................................................................................................. 13
Using Resources: Childrens Advocacy Centers .................................................................................. 16
Federal Involvement ........................................................................................................................... 17
Report Observation 1: Hiring ..................................................................................................................... 18
Educating Social Workers ................................................................................................................... 19
Voices: Ciara Meyers Family .............................................................................................................. 22
Report Observation 2: Training ................................................................................................................. 23
Charting the Course .............................................................................................................................. 23
The Cost of Training ............................................................................................................................ 24
Safety Training ........................................................................................................................................ 26
Voices: Caseworkers on Safety ........................................................................................................... 26
Snapshot: Cambria County ................................................................................................................. 27
Revamping Charting the Course ........................................................................................................... 28
Report Observation 3: Caseloads and paperwork .................................................................................... 30
Voices: Youth Who Have Been Through The System ......................................................................... 31
Burdensome Paperwork ......................................................................................................................... 32
Voices: Caseworkers on Paperwork.................................................................................................... 32
Separate Computer Systems ................................................................................................................... 33
Paperwork: Streamlining the Process ................................................................................................. 34
Report Observation 4: Salary ..................................................................................................................... 37
Report Observation 5: Turnover ................................................................................................................ 40
Voices: Caseworkers on Job Demands and Turnover ......................................................................... 41
A Different Model: Philadelphia County ............................................................................................. 42
Report Observation 6: Other state-level groups ....................................................................................... 44
AOPC Caseworker Retention Workgroup ............................................................................................... 44
House Children & Youth Committee....................................................................................................... 45
A New Tool: Predictive Risk Modeling ................................................................................................ 46
Report Observation 7: Other states .......................................................................................................... 48
Florida ..................................................................................................................................................... 48
Arizona .................................................................................................................................................... 49
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 51
Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................... 52
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... 54
Glossary ...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 58

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 1


Executive summary
In 2016, 46 children died and 79 nearly died in Pennsylvania from abuse and neglect. Of those 125
children, nearly half of their families were already in the child-welfare system.
Pennsylvanias child-welfare system is broken. This is not hyperbole or exaggeration.
In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse scandal in 2011, state legislators tried to better
protect children by passing 24 pieces of legislation amending the Child Protective Services Law. But they
did not provide additional resources to implement those sweeping changes. At the same time, the use
of opioids began to sky-rocket, creating even more dangerous situations for children and therefore
more work for children and youth caseworkers.
As one expert said for this report: In 2015, the dam just broke. We didnt have enough people or
funding to keep up with the huge increases in workload for a staff that was already overworked and
stressed out. And children suffered because of it.
Today, the child-welfare system continues to struggle to achieve its primary mission of keeping children
safe. In Pennsylvania, that task falls upon those on the front lines: county children and youth
caseworkers, who respond to reports of suspected abuse and determine if children are safe.
Although a year-long review found passionate, dedicated professionals doing great work, it also found
an extremely problematic system with deficiencies that put childrens lives at risk. The premise of this
report is that assessing caseworkers ability to do their jobs effectively provides a basis for determining
whether Pennsylvanias children can be kept safe.
County children and youth agencies across the state face similar challenges, which are interlaced:
Difficulty hiring qualified candidates and ineffective training for new hires leads to caseworkers who are
not equipped to deal with overbearing caseloads and burdensome paperwork. Add remarkably low pay
and dangerous situations, and the outcome is extraordinary turnover, which results in the hand-off of
childrens cases to new, more-overwhelmed caseworkers.
Some of the challenges associated with keeping children safe underscore a well-known problem in
Pennsylvania: All levels of government are financially strapped, so compliance with a costly but critical
mandate creates a huge burden. Neither the state, particularly the Department of Human Services
(DHS), nor county governments have extra money sitting in their coffers.
But DHS must take the lead in advocating for more money from the General Assembly, which must truly
make protecting children the priority it deserves to be. Its officials must also take the lead in ensuring all
available resources are used effectively and efficiently. Public pressure is paramount to assisting DHS
and county-level efforts to achieve the necessary changes to keep children safe.
Child welfare is a complex, nuanced profession that requires skilled professionals working with other
human-services agencies to provide the services troubled families need. It is time for a conversation
about wholesale reform so that we, as a community, can better support caseworkers as they do their
jobs. Without the support of the entire community, children will continue to die from abuse and neglect.
As a society, our goal must be clear: No child should ever be mistreated, because one abused child is
one too many.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 2


This report addresses the major challenges through five report observations:

1. Finding qualified, dedicated professionals to work in child welfare is a pervasive struggle,


particularly for those counties that use the State Civil Service Commission.

To improve this situation, we recommend that the Department of Human Services (DHS) and other
state agencies using the State Civil Service Commission:
Update all job descriptions, including educational requirements, at least every two years.

We also recommend that DHS:


Update the Caseworker I, Caseworker II and Casework Supervisor job descriptions by Jan. 1,
2018, to better reflect the demands of those jobs.

We also recommend that DHS internal workgroup of county administrators:


Evaluate the value or merits of using the State Civil Service Commission to hire children and
youth caseworkers and supervisors.

2. Adequately training caseworkers for the complex, potentially dangerous job they perform
requires immediate and ongoing changes.

To help prepare new CYS caseworkers, the state Department of Human Services contracts with the
University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Works Child Welfare Resource Center (CWRC). To improve
the training, we recommend that the CWRC:
Continue to work with county administrators, caseworkers, instructors and others to gather
feedback on how to improve the training for all new caseworkers known as Charting the
Course.
Change Charting the Course to better prepare new caseworkers by replacing much of the in-
class or group learning to more experiential learning, such as:
o Training on how to interview hostile people,
o Learning motivational interviewing techniques,
o Practicing how to de-escalate a hostile situation,
o Adding personal safety training similar to that provided by Service Access & Management
Inc.,
o Providing hands-on self-defense training,
o Teaching hands-on lessons on illegal substances and substance abuse, and
o Holding mock court hearings, perhaps with retired Family Court judges who would volunteer
their time.

3. Unmanageable caseloads and burdensome, redundant paperwork prevent CYS caseworkers from
effectively protecting children from harm.

To improve this situation, we recommend that DHS:


Work to reduce paperwork requirements so that caseworkers can spend more time in the field.
Encourage counties to budget to use clerical case aides to type up caseworkers notes from the
field, perhaps at a 1-aide-to-5-caseworkers ratio, to allow caseworkers to spend more time in
the field.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 3


Work with the CWRC to evaluate whether safety and risk assessments can be combined into one
form.
Have its review board for CAPS, the primary county-level software used statewide, work with
the vendor, Avanco International, to prioritize software time-saving improvements such as:
o All children button or dropdown, false allegation button and both parents button,
o Auto-populate personal and demographic information after first form, and
o Allow for one case to be assigned to two caseworkers.

We also recommend that DHS and county CYS agencies management:


Improve agencies invoice and review procedures performed by caseworkers to substantiate
that invoiced In-Home Purchased Services were actually provided and were provided in
adherence to the CPSL, DHS regulations and executed contract terms, where applicable.

We also recommend that the General Assembly:


Give caseworkers the authority to receive necessary medical, drug-and-alcohol-treatment and
school records without requiring releases, using language similar to 42 Pa.C.S. 6342(d)(1),
which provides Court Appointed Special Advocates with such powers.

4. Pennsylvania caseworkers, particularly those at the entry level, earn a remarkably low salary
given the educational requirements, daily work complexity, and potentially dangerous
components of their jobs.

The average starting salary for a new Caseworker I in the 13 counties we surveyed was $30,018 a
full $20,000 below the average starting salary for other baccalaureate-degree graduates in 2016. To
improve this situation, we recommend that DHS, county commissioners (or other county-level
administrations) and appropriate unions:
Evaluate salaries for caseworkers and supervisors and, where possible, increase salaries based on
experience, educational attainment and equivalent human-services positions.

5. Because of the reasons highlighted in Report Observations 1 through 4, high turnover among
caseworkers greatly inhibits Pennsylvanias ability to effectively protect children.

To improve this situation, we recommend that the suggestions offered for Report Observations 1
through 4 be followed to decrease caseworker turnover rates.

The Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General also discovered it is certainly not alone in its
concern about county CYS caseworkers and their ability to protect at-risk children. The review yielded
information for two more report observations:

6. Other state-level groups and agencies are reviewing the same problems within Pennsylvanias
child-welfare system in an effort to find solutions.

To make full use of the resources being expended on these examinations, we recommend that DHS
and county CYS agencies:
Review recommendations from other state-level workgroups and agencies and implement best
practices.
Continue to take part in caseworker retention reviews and hearings.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 4


We recommend that DHS:
Appoint an independent child protection ombudsman, who would review complaints and
recommend system improvements.
Review predictive risk modeling to determine its usefulness in all counties across the state.

7. States such as Florida and Arizona are tackling similar challenges in their child-welfare systems
and are applying divergent methods to achieve viable solutions.

To make use of the best practices coming from other states efforts, we recommend that DHS Office
of Children, Youth and Families:
Task one person, perhaps the new child protection ombudsman, with communicating with other
states about their child-welfare systems and recommending best-practice changes to
Pennsylvanias system accordingly.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 5


Introduction
The caseloads are more than any one person I dont know what the solution is, but this
can handle. system isnt working.

Its a revolving door of workers. Were burning out good workers. Its tough for
a lot of folks to deal with the emotional aspects,
I can do an excellent job with 10 cases. I cannot
plus they just dont have enough time in the day
do an excellent job with 30 cases.
to do the job.
What we do is so important, and weve lost
The bottom line is I dont think children in
sight of that.
(this) county are safe.
Its unbearable.

These are voices of child welfare workers from county children and youth agencies across Pennsylvania.
They represent the opinions of veteran caseworkers and new caseworkers, and the sentiments
expressed are common statewide.

They all point to the same significant issue: Pennsylvanias child-welfare system is broken.

Despite a major overhaul of Pennsylvanias child-


welfare laws in 2013-15, the people charged with
PEOPLE GET IN THIS FIELD BECAUSE overseeing the safety of at-risk children say those
THEY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, children are no safer now than they were before
AND THEY LEAVE BECAUSE THERES NO the changes. In fact, some of those caseworkers
TIME TO DO THAT. and supervisors believe, children are even less safe
now.
GINA DAURIA, ADMINISTRATOR,
FAYETTE COUNTY CHILDREN & YOUTH SERVICES Our yearlong review of the commonwealths child-
welfare system has revealed five main areas that
are severely impacting children and youth
caseworkers ability to properly ensure the safety of at-risk children:

Hiring difficulties,
Inadequate training,
Heavy caseloads and overly burdensome paperwork,
Relatively low pay, and
High turnover.

The review also yielded information pertaining to two related topics:

Other state-level groups or task forces in Pennsylvania are also examining the child-welfare
system and are finding similar problems, and
States such as Florida and Arizona are tackling similar challenges in their child-welfare systems
and are applying divergent methods to achieve viable solutions.

Together, these seven areas form the basis for this special report, which assesses the safety of
Pennsylvanias at-risk children by evaluating how effectively child-welfare caseworkers and managers
are able to perform their requisite job duties. To provide an overview of the various demographic

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 6


landscapes across the commonwealth, 13 counties were specifically chosen as a sampling to represent
urban, rural and suburban communities:

Allegheny,
Bucks,
Cambria,
Centre,
Crawford,
Dauphin,
Delaware,
Erie,
Fayette,
Luzerne,
Monroe,
Philadelphia, and
York.

Along with the aforementioned seven observations, this report offers 17 recommendations as a starting
point to remedy the myriad issues confronting Pennsylvanias child-welfare system.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 7


Background
The idea that government has a responsibility to protect children and others who cannot manage their
own affairs comes from an English Common Law doctrine known as parens patriae. 1 It can be defined as
a doctrine that grants the inherent power and authority of the state to protect persons who are legally
unable to act on their own behalf. 2

This doctrine has been interpreted in the United States to mean that states are responsible for the
health and well-being of their citizens, including children:

The state is the supreme guardian of all children within its jurisdiction, and state courts have
the inherent power to intervene to protect the best interests of children whose welfare is
jeopardized by controversies between parents. This inherent power is generally supplemented
by legislative acts that define the scope of child protection in a state. 3

In Pennsylvania, child welfare is administered through a complex mix of federal, state and county
resources, as well as third-party vendors. The overall structure is known as state-supervised, county-
administered which means, in essence, that each of the commonwealths 67 counties has its own
children and youth services (CYS) agency, all of which are overseen by the state Department of Human
Services (DHS), which designates the Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) to oversee the
system. OCYF operates four regional offices: Southeast, Northeast, Central and Western. The regions
comprise all 67 counties. (see Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth and Families
chart, page 9.)

The regional offices responsibilities include: 4

Monitoring, licensing and providing technical assistance to county CYS agencies and facilities,
Investigating child abuse when the alleged perpetrator is a county agency employee or one of
its agents,
Monitoring county agencies implementation and ongoing compliance with the Child Protective
Services Law (CPSL) and associated regulations,
Ensuring regulatory compliance of agencies and facilities by investigating complaints and
conducting annual inspections,
Assisting county agencies in the interpretation and implementation of new protective services
regulations, and
Reviewing and recommending approval of county needs-based plans and budget estimates.

1
http://www.encyclopedia.com/law/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/parens-patriae Accessed July
20, 2017.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 2015 Annual Child Protective Services Report.
http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/document/c_226999.pdf Accessed July 24, 2017.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 8


Department of Human Services
Office of Children, Youth, and Families

Southeast Northeast Western Central


Regional Office Regional Office Regional Office Regional Office

Berks Bradford Allegheny Adams


Bucks Carbon Armstrong Bedford
Chester Lackawanna Beaver Blair
Delaware Lehigh Butler Cambria
Montgomery Luzerne Cameron Centre
Philadelphia Monroe Clarion Clinton
Northampton Clearfield Columbia
Pike Crawford Cumberland
Schuylkill Elk Dauphin
Sullivan Erie Franklin
Susquehanna Fayette Fulton
Tioga Forest Huntingdon
Wayne Greene Juniata
Wyoming Indiana Lancaster
Jefferson Lebanon
Lawrence Lycoming
McKean Mifflin
Mercer Montour
Potter Northumberland
Venango Perry
Warren Snyder
Washington Somerset
Westmoreland Union
York

The bulk of child-welfare costs are split between the state and county agencies in a complicated
reimbursement formula. Generally speaking, counties pay for all costs up front, then bill the state and
federal governments for their portions.

In 2016, a total of $1.811 billion was spent in Pennsylvania for child welfare, according to DHS 2016
Annual Protective Services Report. That amount broke down as follows:
$1.063 billion: State funds
$398 million: County funds
$350 million: Federal funds

Of the $1.461 billion in state and county funding, about 22 percent $232.727 million was spent to
investigate child-maltreatment reports. The largest chunk of that $217.079 million was spent by

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 9


counties. The remaining $15.648 million was spent by the state on personnel costs such as OCYF
headquarters staff and ChildLine staff who performed child-maltreatment-related work. (For more on
ChildLine, see Audit: ChildLine Shortages, page 13.)

Heres a look at how much each of the 13 counties we surveyed spent on child-maltreatment
assessments in fiscal year 2015-16 (investigating Child Protective Services and General Protective
Services reports) 4:

Amount spent to investigate CPS and GPS reports


County FY 2015-16
Allegheny $49,451,075
Bucks $11,488,413
Cambria $2,699,287
Centre $997,392
Crawford $2,181,171
Dauphin $3,520,121
Delaware $9,410,430
Erie $4,480,224
Fayette $1,496,998
Luzerne $6,666,887
Monroe $2,214,734
Philadelphia $33,837,429
York $3,331,512

Each year, the state allocates a budgeted amount for child welfare in general, then allocates a certain
amount for each county based on a process known as needs-based budgeting. This process means
management at each CYS agency must use historical data as well as its best estimates about future
needs to anticipate how much money the agency will need to spend for the next two years.

Following is a breakdown of the total amounts the state and county CYS agencies spent in fiscal years
2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 in our 13 sample counties: 5

4
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 2016 Annual Child Protective Services Report.
http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/report/c_260865.pdf Accessed July 24, 2017
5
Department of Human Services, Act 148 forms.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 10


Amounts spent by county CYS agencies and the state
(per year for 13 focus counties)

County (county population) FY2013-14 FY2014-15 FY2015-16


Allegheny (1,231,145)
County share $38,157,176 $39,931,897 $40,218,184
State share $112,170,566 $119,687,480 $126,951,879
Total $150,327,742 $159,619,377 $167,170,063
Bucks (626,583)
County share $11,547,913 $10,860,149 $11,258,506
State share $31,832,445 $30,788,753 $31,697,660
Total $43,380,358 $41,648,902 $42,956,166
Cambria (139,381)
County share $1,510,736 $1,489,574 $1,611,819
State share $4,801,836 $4,982,234 $5,065,771
Total $6,312,572 $6,471,808 $6,677,590
Centre (157,823)
County share $1,665,170 $1,724,417 $1,729,809
State share $5,786,368 $6,053,959 $5,920,943
Total $7,451,538 $7,778,376 $7,650,752
Crawford (87,343)
County share $1,399,185 $1,372,010 $1,505,134
State share $4,828,100 $4,826,657 $5,225,875
Total $6,227,285 $6,198,667 $6,731,009
Dauphin (271,094)
County share $7,684,078 $7,831,298 $7,929,903
State share $17,364,056 $18,276,740 $19,549,388
Total $25,048,134 $26,108,038 $27,479,291
Delaware (561,683)
County share $12,172,216 $12,641,473 $12,111,444
State share $33,570,356 $35,330,992 $33,613,381
Total $45,742,572 $47,972,465 $45,724,825
Erie (279,858)
County share $7,660,379 $7,734,439 $8,005,213
State share $21,409,955 $21,754,146 $22,628,093
Total $29,070,334 $29,488,585 $30,633,306
Fayette (134,851)
County share $1,616,566 $1,570,613 $1,725,126
State share $5,773,394 $5,365,583 $5,912,935
Total $7,389,960 $6,936,196 $7,638,061

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 11


Luzerne (320,095) FY2013-14 FY2014-15 FY2015-16
County share $6,324,115 $5,720,078 $5,598,706
State share $20,120,685 $18,484,366 $18,530,061
Total $26,444,800 $24,204,444 $24,128,767
Monroe (167,881)
County share $3,105,345 $3,402,663 $3,671,036
State share $8,694,936 $8,848,756 $8,827,564
Total $11,800,281 $12,251,419 $12,498,600
Philadelphia (1,555,072)
County share $135,921,688 $147,831,273 $142,689,862
State share $345,907,113 $349,373,257 $343,495,981
Total $481,828,801 $497,204,530 $486,185,843
York (439,660)
County share $8,740,719 $9,305,388 $9,192,850
State share $23,923,363 $23,136,491 $25,476,450
Total $32,664,082 $32,441,879 $34,669,300

County CYS agencies


When a report of potential child maltreatment is made to ChildLine, either by phone or through its
online portal, the report is then referred to the correct county CYS agency. Once the CYS agency receives
the referral, a staff member screens the information received to determine if the report requires
investigation by the agency.

Because each of Pennsylvanias 67 CYS agencies is independently run, each has its own unique structure.
In general, however, most CYS agencies contain some form of the following units:

Screening: Screeners evaluate the information in the referral and make determinations on
whether a report requires investigation. (Counties screen out up to 50 percent of all calls,
meaning those calls are deemed not in need of investigation, according to CYS administrators.) If
a report is deemed in need of investigation, it then moves to the Intake unit. In some counties,
screeners are part of the Intake unit.
Intake: Intake caseworkers are the first to receive referrals that require investigation. These are
the workers who make the initial contact with families and alleged perpetrators to tell them an
allegation of maltreatment has been made, then evaluate whether the child or children named
in the report are living in a safe environment. Intake caseworkers have strict timelines in which
they must see the children named in the report, based upon the severity of the maltreatment
alleged in the referral. The intake caseworker determines within 60 days whether a case is:
o Unfounded: Meaning there is a lack of evidence that a child was maltreated;
o Indicated: Meaning there is substantial evidence that abuse has occurred based on
medical evidence, the CYS investigation or an admission by a perpetrator;
o Pending: Meaning the caseworker cannot complete the investigation within 60 days
because court action has been initiated; or

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 12


o Founded: Meaning court
action has been taken, AUDIT: CHILDLINE
including a judicial ruling
that a child was
SHORTAGES
maltreated.
ChildLine is the state-run 24-hour child-abuse
Even if a case is deemed hotline and is the hub through which all child-
maltreatment reports are to be made in
unfounded, a family can still be
Pennsylvania.
accepted for social services, such
as drug- and alcohol-abuse Its staff members are responsible for fielding calls
assistance, to help minimize and electronic submissions about potential child
potential future instances of maltreatment, then referring those reports to the
correct county CYS agency. ChildLine staff also
abuse or neglect.
complete background checks for those who want to
Ongoing: Once an Intake work or volunteer with children.
caseworker determines that a When Auditor General Eugene DePasquale audited
family is in need of social services, ChildLine in 2015-16, he found such significant
whether a child is taken from the problems that he issued an interim report in May
home or not, an ongoing 2016 sounding the alarm that immediate changes
caseworker takes on the were necessary.
responsibility of working with the Among the significant matters in the report:
family to facilitate parent/child 42,000 calls went unanswered in 2015 (22
visits, evaluate whether social percent
services are being used as of all calls),
needed, and more. The main goal ChildLine was constantly understaffed in 2015,
of ongoing caseworkers usually is and
to achieve family reunification. Nearly one-third of all calls received in 2014
Placement/adoption: These and 2015 were not tracked or documented.
caseworkers are focused on In the final audit report, released in October 2016,
managing foster families and DePasquale showed that 58,000 calls had gone
helping facilitate adoptions of unanswered between Jan. 1, 2014, and June 30,
children in the child-welfare 2016.
system. DHS officials took several immediate actions to
address the major problems. For example:
Again, each county has a unique make-up,
so some have their Intake units divided Understaffing: After a robust round of hiring
into separate divisions, such as CPS (Child and a new policy on required minimum staffing
level, DHS met the minimum call staffing level
Protective Services, or suspected child 90 percent of the time in late June 2016.
abuse) and GPS (General Protective Tracking all calls: Following the
Services, which covers reports such as recommendations of the interim report, on Aug.
inappropriate discipline) units. In other 1, 2016, DHS began tracking the reason for all
counties, caseworkers handle their cases calls. Until then, the reasons for 124,000 calls
that did not result in referral reports were simply
from screening and intake through
not documented.
placement, so there is no differentiation
of units.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 13


In most counties, the casework units are supplemented by clerical staff, legal staff, fiscal staff and
others, depending upon the size of the agency.

2013-15 state law changes


As a direct result of the child-abuse case against former Penn State University football coach Jerry
Sandusky, Pennsylvanias Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) 6 underwent major changes in 2013, 2014
and 2015. In total, 24 pieces of legislation were passed and signed into law amending the CPSL. Among
the changes were the following:

An expanded definition of child abuse,


An expansion of those considered mandated reporters, and
An expansion of those required to pass a state background check to work or volunteer with
children.

These changes had a significant impact on the reporting, investigation, assessment, prosecution and
judicial handling of child-abuse and neglect cases. Most notable was the immediate, sudden increase in
child-abuse reports coming into ChildLine, which was suffering from its own shortage of resources and
personnel. (See Audit: ChildLine Shortages, page 13.)

Data provided by DHS shows that the number of calls coming into ChildLine rose a total of 14 percent
from 2014 to 2015, then decreased by 11 percent from 2015 to 2016, as shown below: 7

Total Calls to ChildLine

190,000
180,000
170,000
160,000
150,000
140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
100,000

2014 2015 2016

6
23 Pa.C.S. 6301 et seq. Act 15 of 2015, effective July 1, 2015, was the last act in this series of 24 acts to be
enacted.
7
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 2016 Annual Child Protective Services Report.
http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/report/c_260865.pdf Accessed July 17, 2017

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 14


Although the overall number of reports rose 14 percent overall from 2014-15, some individual counties
such as Dauphin saw increases of 65 percent or more in the number of reports they received.

Of all the reports to ChildLine, only a portion were categorized as Child Protective Services (CPS)
reports, which include an allegation that a child might have been a victim of child abuse. CPS cases
require a county agency to see children either immediately or within 24 hours to determine their safety.

Other calls were categorized as General Protective Services (GPS) cases, meaning they do not rise to the
level of suspected child abuse but allege a need for intervention to prevent serious harm to a child; or
they were given another designation, such as a law-enforcement-only referral. GPS cases allow for a
longer response timeframe since they do not allege immediate danger to a child.

According to DHS, there were 29,517 CPS reports in 2014; 42,018 reports in 2015; and 44,359 reports in
2016, as shown below: 8

CPS Reports (Suspected Child Abuse Reports) by Year

45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0

2014 2015 2016

Thats a 42 percent increase in calls specifically alleging child abuse from 2014 to 2015 a workload
change that affected not only ChildLine but also county CYS agencies, which saw a proportionate
increase in the number of referrals caseworkers needed to investigate. Much of the burden fell on
Intake caseworkers, who saw a sudden spike in the number of cases they were required to begin
investigating either immediately or within 24 hours.

8
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. 2016 Annual Child Protective Services Report.
http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/report/c_260865.pdf Accessed July 17, 2017.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 15


To make matters worse, as the
24 pieces of legislation that
eventually became the
USING RESOURCES:
amendments to the CPSL were CHILDRENS ADVOCACY
being debated and passed in
the legislature, many CYS
CENTERS
agencies were already dealing When adults suspect a child has been abused, they begin
with high turnover and a lack of asking the child questions. Its a natural reaction for
resources, particularly funding. nurses, doctors, CYS caseworkers, law enforcement officials,
Many of the county agencies district attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, therapists,
whose top officials are known psychiatrists and more.
as administrators or directors But each time an adult asks what happened, the child must
were also trying to tell DHS relive potentially the worst moments of their life.
that the CPSL changes were Thats where childrens advocacy centers (CACs) can be
going to put a massive strain on crucial. CACs are child-focused centers that offer a safe,
their workers and would neutral space for the child to tell their experience. According
require additional resources, to the National Childrens Alliance (NCA), CACs emphasize
including funding, to meet the the coordination of investigation and intervention services by
increased demand for services. bringing together professionals and agencies as a
multidisciplinary team.
Part of the problem, DHS and More than 750 NCA-accredited CACs exist nationwide, and
county administrators they saw nearly 280,000 children in 2015. Pennsylvania has
interviewed for this report 16 accredited centers, including PinnacleHealths Childrens
agreed, was that 2015 was the Resource Center (CRC) in Harrisburg, which serves seven
mid-year point of a two-year counties regularly.
needs-based budgeting cycle, At the CRC, children are interviewed by a social worker
so administrators were unable trained in how to talk to children based on their age and
to ask for more staff and developmental ability, according to CRC Manager Dr. Lynn
funding until at least 2016. Carson. Social workers ask questions in a non-leading, non-
suggestive manner. The interview is done in a room with a
Another part of the problem, camera and microphone, with only the social worker and the
administrators agreed, was child present. Investigative agencies, including Children and
that the General Assembly did Youth and law enforcement, can observe in a separate room
not provide for additional through closed-circuit TV, and interviews are video-recorded.
funding to help CYS agencies The child is also examined by an abuse specialist and is
handle the anticipated increase treated for any abuse-related injuries. Many CACs also
in need for investigations and coordinate mental-health services.
services. And the Department The CRC saw 1,200 children in 2016, said Carson, who said
of Public Welfare under then the center could handle serving many more children.
Gov. Tom Corbett did not Using a CAC can save up to $1,000 per investigation by
request any additional funds streamlining the process and creating efficiencies for multiple
from the legislature at the time agencies, according to the NCA.
specifically to handle the
Most importantly, Carson said, when agencies work together,
inevitable increased number of
there are better outcomes for the child.
child-abuse reports.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 16


Adelaide Grace, administrator for Monroe County Children & Youth, said she was one of those who
advocated for more resources before the CPSL changes took effect.

Although we were very frank and very open with our regional offices and with OCYF about our needs, it
fell on deaf ears, Grace said in 2017. If we couldnt demonstrate the need ahead of time, they couldnt
get us the resources we needed.

My agency has never recovered from that, and were almost two and a half years down the pike,
Grace continued. Its been a downward spiral ever since.

FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT
Although states bear the ultimate responsibility to keep children safe under the 10th amendment to the
U.S. Constitution, the 14th amendment has been interpreted to recognize the rights of and need for the
federal government to be involved in this critical mission.
In 2016, the federal government allocated more than $8.6 billion nationwide for child-welfare-related
services. The majority of that money came through the federal Social Security Act as follows:

Title IV-B of the act authorizes funding to states to support a range of child-welfare-related
services to children and their families.
Title IV-E of the act entitles states to federal reimbursement for part of the cost of providing
foster care, adoption assistance and kinship care. It also authorizes funding to support
youth who age out of foster care.

Here is a look at the amount of federal funds allocated each year from 2012-16, according to the
Congressional Research Service:
Final Funding for Child Welfare Programs
(parts may not sum to total due to rounding)

Programs FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016


Title IV-B all $730 million $688 million $689 million $664 million $668 million
programs
Title IV-E all $6.777 billion $6.710 billion $7.510 billion $7.424 billion $7.833 billion
programs
All other $188 million $180 million $192 million $190 million $188 million
programs
Total funding $7.696 billion $7.578 billion $8.390 billion $8.279 billion $8.689 billion

Most of the federal funds dedicated to child welfare are provided to state child-welfare agencies, such
as Pennsylvanias Department of Human Services (DHS), which oversees the Office of Children,
Youth and Families. To receive these federal funds, state agencies typically must provide a portion of
nonfederal resources usually between 20 percent and 50 percent of the programs cost. The
state agencies must also abide by federal child-welfare policies.
Since 1974, one of the key federal laws in this area has been the Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act (CAPTA). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CAPTA
provides for federal funding to states to support prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution
and treatment activities related to child abuse and neglect.
CAPTA was most recently reauthorized by the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and the
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016.
State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 17
Pennsylvania received roughly $350 million in federal funds in 2016, according to DHS. That was an
increase from 2015, when it received $344 million.
Report Observation 1: Finding qualified, dedicated professionals to work in child
welfare is a pervasive struggle, particularly for those counties that use the State
Civil Service Commission.
For approximately 50 of the states 67 counties, when job seekers want to apply for county caseworker
jobs in any human-services field, they begin by going to the State Civil Service Commissions (SCSC)
website.

There, job seekers create an online account and view all job openings available through the SCSC. Once
they choose which jobs to apply for, they then choose a day, time and location to take a civil service
examination, if applicable. Job seekers receive their examination results, which include a qualifications
determination and overall examination scores, if applicable, in an average of eight days. Assuming
verification of qualifications and passage of examination, the names of qualified job seekers are added
to a civil service employment certification lists for the jobs for which they applied. From there, counties
can request and obtain a list of candidates for their open positions.

Counties can canvass for interest and availability with as many of the job seekers on the list as they
deem necessary to fill available vacancies. However, counties must initially consider at least the top
three responding and available candidates or more, if they have the same examination scores,
according to Jeffrey Wallace, executive director of the SCSC.

Agencies are required to interview the top available job seekers and, from that group, they can make a
selection or multiple selections, Wallace said.

Wallace highlighted two areas in which using the SCSC to hire is an advantage for counties: First,
veterans have 10 points added to their examination results and receive hiring preference per the
provisions of the Commonwealths Military Affairs Code; second, its consistency in terms of
qualification reviews, Wallace said.

The SCSC provides hiring services for multiple jobs within the human-services field, including County
Caseworker I, County Caseworker II, County Caseworker III and County Casework Supervisor. As of
August 2017, the SCSC had the following number of candidates in each of those categories, 9 according
to Wallace:
State Civil Service Commission statistics
Total # of positions
(filled and vacant) in
SCSC counties Vacancies Candidates
statewide
Caseworker I 440 116 1,014
Caseworker II 2,527 549 238
Caseworker III 289 74 155
Casework Supervisor 565 99 155
Totals 3,821 838 1,562

9
Note that these numbers reflect positions for county children and youth positions as well as Mental
Health/Intellectual Disabilities positions.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 18


The data shows that, although there are roughly twice as
many candidates as vacancies, in some categories such as EDUCATING
Caseworker II the vacancies significantly outpace the
candidates. SOCIAL
Caseworker I is considered an entry-level position and is often
WORKERS
filled by hiring from outside the agency, county administrators Administered through the
said. Caseworker II and III are steps up from Caseworker I and University of Pittsburgh School
are often filled by internal promotions, Wallace said. of Social Work, the Child
Welfare Education for
According to the Caseworker I job description provided by the Baccalaureates (CWEB) and
SCSC, applicants must meet one of the following Child Welfare Education for
requirements: Leadership (CWEL) programs
are designed to make
A bachelors degree with 12 credits in sociology, social undergraduate and graduate
welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice or a social work education available
related social science; or to qualified, prospective public
Two years as a County Social Services Aide 3 and two child welfare workers and
years of college-level course work that includes 12 current county child welfare
credits in the above-listed social sciences; or agency employees throughout
Equivalent experience and training that includes 12 Pennsylvania, according to the
universitys website.
credits in the above-listed social sciences and one
year as a paraprofessional performing case- Social workers are best suited
management functions. to do this work, said Tim Seip,
a former caseworker who now
These requirements and the job descriptions that go with teaches at Kutztown University.
them are for caseworkers in various human-services fields in
Pennsylvania, including the department of Mental The goal of CWEB, for
undergraduates, is to provide
Health/Intellectual Disabilities. It is troubling that there is no
educational opportunities for
specific test for CYS candidates. social work majors seeking to
Also troubling is the fact that the last time the job description work in a county children and
youth agency after graduation.
and minimum qualification requirements were updated for
Students complete extensive
Caseworker I positions was Feb. 21, 2004.
internships in exchange for
Its counterpart, the Caseworker II description, was last funding to help pay for their
education, according to the
updated Aug. 31, 1994 23 years ago.
website.
Administrators at some of the counties that hire through SCSC
The goal of CWEL, for graduate
said theyve encountered major problems trying to find students, is similar. The
quality candidates or, frankly, any candidates willing to programs are a cooperative
interview for the multitude of open positions they have. effort among the United States
Administration for Children and
I really struggle with the civil service test because I do not Families, DHS, the
feel its sufficient to gauge a caseworkers abilities, said Gina Pennsylvania Children and
DAuria, administrator for Fayette County Children and Youth Youth Administrators and 12
Services, which uses the SCSC. accredited schools of social
work in Pennsylvania.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 19


We cant fill all our vacancies off of one (SCSC) list of candidates, said Erie County Office of Children &
Youth Administrator Lana Rees, who had nine open caseworker positions this spring. We dont really
stop hiring anymore. We have decided to engage in a continual hiring process, which takes away a lot of
administrative time. But in order to achieve a full staff complement, you cannot stop hiring.

County administrators who struggle to hire through the civil service cited similar problems:

Not enough candidates overall, particularly in rural counties,


Not enough high-quality candidates,
Inability to get quality candidates to come in for interviews and accept jobs, and
Slow, burdensome process to obtain the list of candidates and complete the hiring process.

Others cited concerns with the test itself, saying that they are looking for qualitative skills such as
interviewing families and the ability to communicate effectively with children, not quantitative skills
which is more what the SCSC test assesses. Many administrators said the test is not a good measure of
whether candidates could be excellent
JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN SCORE WELL ON A TEST caseworkers.
DOESNT MEAN YOU SHOULD WORK WITH Just because you can score well on a
FAMILIES. test doesnt mean you should work
with families, said Kelly Schwab,
KELLY SCHWAB, DEPUTY DIRECTOR
OF CRAWFORD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES deputy director of Crawford County
Human Services.

As of spring 2017, Erie County was just a few weeks away from no longer using the SCSC. Thats taken
us a very long time to accomplish, Rees said.

For the roughly 17 other counties that no longer use SCSC to perform merit employment services 10, the
process to withdraw from using the SCSC was cumbersome, according to several county administrators.
That is because those positions must remain in some form merit based and must be certified as such by
state funding agencies, SCSCs Wallace said. That is so selection and hiring decisions are not influenced
by political considerations.

Cathy Utz, DHS deputy secretary for the Office of Children, Youth and Families, said she recognizes the
pros and cons to using the civil service to hire caseworkers.

In order to receive federal funds, we have to have some sort of meritorious hiring process, she said.
(But) I agree there have been challenges with some components around civil service hiring. (For
example,) how do we ensure the county caseworker test identifies the skills that we need our children
and youth workers to have? How do we make sure that the test gets to the skill sets that we need to get
to?

The alternative opting out of using the SCSC is a lengthy process because counties must have their
own human-resources-level services and must be able to demonstrate that they are adhering to the
merit-hire process, Utz said.

10
Those counties are Adams, Berks, Bucks, Carbon/Monroe/Pike, Centre, Chester, Dauphin, Franklin, Green
Jefferson, Lancaster, Lawrence, Montgomery, Somerset, Venango and Warren, according to SCSCs Wallace.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 20


Before the CPSL changes began taking effect, Utz said, DHS was working with the SCSC to alter the test
questions to better assess candidates abilities and to update the job descriptions for Caseworker I,
Caseworker II and Casework Supervisor. That work is only now being revisited because enacting the
CPSL changes took such a sudden, intense effort.

Were starting to begin to bring to the forefront some of the things that we had been discussing before
the CPSL happened, Utz said.

Wallace agreed that DHS and the SCSC previously had conversations about making changes, including
updating the outdated job descriptions.

We work with the appointing authorities to get the specifications, but we are not the author of them,
he said. We talked with DHS on again and off again to get them to work with us and the counties to
revise and update those specifications, but DHS has not yet done so.

Wallace agreed the Pennsylvania Department of Human Resources (DHS), counties, and SCSC previously
had conversations about making changes, including updating outdated job specifications for the
caseworker jobs classification series.

We work with the state and county hiring authorities to get official job specifications revised and/or
updated, but we are not the author of them. It is the responsibility of the hiring authorities and, if
applicable, the governors Office of Administration to initiate the review process, he said. Although
efforts have been made during the past years with DHS and counties to initiate a review process for the
county caseworker job series, the project is still pending with DHS.

Wallace said, it is his understanding DHS has or plans to form an internal workgroup of DHS and county
administrators to discuss the job specifications, and the SCSC is awaiting the recommendations of the
workgroup.

Id do away with Civil Service, said Crawford Countys Schwab.

Recommendations
We recommend that DHS and other state agencies using the State Civil Service Commission:
Update all job descriptions, including educational requirements, at least every two years.

We recommend that DHS:


Update the Caseworker I, Caseworker II and Casework Supervisor job descriptions by Jan. 1,
2018, to better reflect the demands of those jobs.

We recommend that DHS internal workgroup of county administrators:


Evaluate the value or merits of using the State Civil Service Commission to hire children and
youth caseworkers and supervisors.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 21


VOICES: CIARA MEYERS FAMILY
Ciara CeCe Meyer was 4 years old when Dauphin County CYS first became involved with her
family. Her parents, Donald and Sherry Meyer, were both abusing painkillers, according to family
members, and one of them went to the emergency room because of an overdose. Thats when
CYS was called.
Her life was chaotic, Ciaras aunt Stephanie Cordas said during an interview in early 2017 for
this report.
When she was at home, she was the mommy and the daddy, grandmother Alice Gehman said.
For the next eight years, Dauphin and Perry CYS agencies were called various times as Donald
and Sherry Meyer continued to struggle with their addictions, family members said. Sometimes,
CYS would check on Ciara and remove her from the home, but when new caseworkers would
take over the case, they would give Ciara back without ensuring her parents were truly getting
help for their addictions.
On Jan. 11, 2016, 12-year-old Ciara was home sick from school when a constable arrived to
serve an eviction notice on her family in their Perry County home. Donald Meyer allegedly pulled
a gun on the constable and threatened him. As Ciara pleaded with her father to stop, the
constable pulled his own gun and shot Donald Meyer in the arm but the bullet traveled through
his arm and into Ciaras chest, killing her. Police later determined Donald Meyer was legally
unable to own a gun. He has been charged with homicide in Ciaras death.
Ciaras extended family talked extensively to Auditor General DePasquale for this report. The
family Cordas, Alice Gehman, uncle Jason Gehman, and Hope and Ron Rohde, whom Ciara
called aunt and uncle believes the children and youth system failed Ciara while she was
alive. They say Ciara should not have been with her parents that day and should instead have
been in the safety of one of their homes.
Three weeks after Ciara died, her family received a letter from Perry County CYS saying it was
going to investigate the Meyers family and ensure Ciara was safe.
Theyre so out of touch, Ron Rohde said. Theyre just going through the motions and arent
really keeping kids safe.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 22


Report Observation 2: Adequately training new caseworkers for the complex,
potentially dangerous job they perform requires immediate and ongoing
changes.
Building a workforce of skilled and responsive child-welfare professionals is a multi-pronged task. Most
new caseworkers are fresh out of college and have little to no real-world experience. Industry leaders
highly prize caseworkers who have themselves lived through the child-welfare system because those
caseworkers are so rare and because they have the real-world experience most new college
graduates are lacking.

For decades, training was done on the job, as new caseworkers shadowed veteran workers and used
them as mentors. Until 1992, said Mike Byers, director of the University of Pittsburgh: School of Social
Works Child Welfare Resource Center (CWRC), each county was left on their own to onboard and train
their staff, and for some counties that was extremely difficult.

In 1992, DHS then the Department of Public Welfare began working with Shippensburg University
to provide training for all new caseworkers.

In 2001, when there was a need to broaden it beyond training and go to practical learning, Byers said,
DHS signed an intergovernmental agreement with the University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Work,
which continues to provide training for all new caseworkers.

OCYFs current agreement with the University of Pittsburgh ends June 30, 2018. That agreement will be
renewed, DHS Utz confirmed in September 2017.

When (the training) started in the 1990s as a competency-based training program we sat folks in a
room, gave them those competencies, and they went forth and did, said Utz, whose background
includes 11 years at county CYS agencies.

Then it moved into skills-based training. Now, were looking at How do we enhance the skill set that
we have with workers? Utz continued. Can we do some training online, and can we do some
experiential training when we come together?

Charting the Course


The current training required for all new caseworkers is called Charting the Course towards
Permanency for Children in Pennsylvania, offered through the CWRC. The training consists of a 120-

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 23


hour series of day-long sessions, with six additional hours of
individual online transfer-of-learning training.
THE COST
Charting the Course was created when a series of groups came
together to talk about essential training content for caseworkers,
OF TRAINING
Byers said. The price-tag to put one
caseworker through
This is an incredibly difficult job, said Byers, who worked as a CYS
Charting the Course is
caseworker, supervisor and manager in Pennsylvania and California about $4,500, according to
before joining the CWRC. The range of what you need to be good Mike Byers, associate
at and the range of what youre exposed to day to day, its a long- director of the University of
term journey toward becoming competent and having all the skills Pittsburgh: School of
you need. Social Works Child
Welfare Resource Center
Charting the Course introduces caseworkers to that range of (CWRC).
requisite skills through instructors who have long-term experience
The money comes from a
in the field, he said.
combination of federal
Our trainers are contractors. We want folks that are still active funds through Title IV-E of
and involved in the field doing the training, Byers said. Its hard the Social Security Act,
to train something unless youve been there and done that. and the state. An exact
breakdown of dollars was
The 10 sessions in Charting the Course are called modules unavailable.
known among Pennsylvanias child-welfare professionals as In fiscal year 2014-15, the
Mods and are offered two to three days per week. In most CWRC certified 340
counties, new workers must complete Mods 1 through 4 before caseworkers across the
they are assigned cases; however, some counties require state, according to the
caseworkers to finish all Mods before taking on cases. CWRCs 2014-15 annual
report.
Administrators are in a real dilemma, with wanting to protect our
new caseworkers and have them not get overwhelmed by a Thats an estimated cost of
caseload, but the experienced caseworkers are dealing with really $1.53 million to train
workers that year.
heavy caseloads, Byers said.
Even more caseworkers
Reviews of Charting the Course and its effectiveness vary widely 526 were certified in FY
across the state. 2013-14, according to the
CWRCs 2013-14 annual
For example, Deirdre Gordon, director of Children and Youth
report. Training those
Services of Delaware County, said she is a fan of the training. I like workers cost roughly
Charting the Course, she said. They produce a good quality $2.367 million.
product (and) Im happy with what they have. I feel they do a
pretty good job in the design; they dont just lecture to you.

But many other current caseworkers and administrators offered criticism, some of it harsh.

Charting the Course is a joke, said one caseworker who asked not to be identified in this report. I
think its a complete waste of time. You need on-the-job training for this.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 24


I learned more by shadowing other workers in one day than I learned in all of Charting the Course,
said one Cambria County caseworker. You dont retain anything because you dont know what to pay
attention to.

You need a good mentor. Job shadowing is more important, said another Cambria County caseworker.

Several supervisors and county administrators also said they feel the training should be improved
because, in its current form, it requires a lot of supplemental learning that peers and supervisors must
provide.

Charting the Course gives them the foundation of child welfare and why we do what we do, said
Fayette Countys DAuria. But I think that it definitely needs to be supplemented. We do a lot of job
shadowing here.

Charting the Course gives the basics, but of course its very general because then every county does
something different, said Luzerne County Children & Youth Administrator Joanne Van Saun. To help
provide more experiential learning for her new
caseworkers, Van Saun has contacted local
TRAINING IS A PIECE OF WHAT WE DO. colleges drama programs. We might eventually
TRAINING IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT ask the state if we could have a training unit so
GOING TO GET TO IMPLEMENTATION IN we could train them ourselves. Im not sure that
THE FIELD. (the training now) does really meet our needs.

MIKE BYERS, DIRECTOR, Julia Sprinkle, director of Centre County Office of


UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: SCHOOL OF SOCIAL Children & Youth Services, agreed. Charting the
WORKS CHILD WELFARE RESOURCE CENTER Course does a good job laying a foundation, but
the problem, I find and its not Charting the
Courses problem there are 67 different counties, so there are 67 different ways to do everything,
said Sprinkle, who does not assign cases to workers until theyve finished their training.

More practical training rather than theory is better for the staff, Van Saun said. Because most
caseworkers already have at least a bachelors degree with 12 credit hours in social-science-related
classes, Theyve already had the theory, she added.

Monroe Countys Grace agreed: In terms of theory, they dont need a pep talk on why you need to do
the right thing for people. Theyre already there.

Even Delaware Countys Gordon, who likes the current training, said the curriculum could be improved.
I do support the Child Welfare Resource Center moving more to online training and more experiential
(training), she said. Workers love the experiential stuff, and they need it.

CWRCs Byers admitted that there are limitations to how much the CWRC can do to prepare
caseworkers for the job because the work specifics of doing the job vary widely across the state.

Child welfare can look pretty different across those 67 counties, he said. We can only take that
training to a certain level. Then it takes a lot of time for them to work with their peers, be mentored by
experienced caseworkers and be supported by their supervisor.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 25


Training is a piece of what we do, Byers continued. Training
in and of itself is not going to get to implementation in the field. VOICES:
The caseworker must be supported by their supervisor and CASEWORKERS
organization as a whole to have the best opportunity to
implement what they learned in the classroom.
ON SAFETY
Byers said the last major revision of the program was in 2011, During research for this report,
more than three dozen
and his organization is in the midst of a significant overhaul of
caseworkers from at least 10
the Mods.
counties across the state
The field has evolved, he said. More of the presentation of spoke to us about their
knowledge is going to shift online so that more face-to-face experiences and what their
day-to-day lives are like.
time can be devoted to skill building.
Here are some of their views
That skill building will at times be experiential learning through on their own safety in the field:
simulations, Byers said, and some will be team-based learning,
which relies on the group in the room tackling a scenario Our safety is unimportant.
together.
Were not protected.
As we continue to get feedback from counties and the state,
there will continue to be changes, Byers said. Ive had things thrown at me.

Safety training I was once held hostage in


One optional training program offered through the CWRC somebodys house.
but not required to complete the Mods is personal safety
training offered by Service Access & Management Inc. (SAM), This job is more dangerous
than Crisis (Intervention) was.
headquartered in Reading, Berks County.

Founded 20 years ago, SAM is a 600-person company that Were confronting families
serves 37 counties in Pennsylvania and six in New Jersey. 11 about difficult issues and
we have to be confrontational
Roughly 2,000 caseworkers and supervisors approximately
but build a rapport. Training on
50 percent of the states CYS staff have gone through SAMs how to handle that would be
experiential training, according to Ronald Frederick, personal hugely helpful.
safety director.
Police departments are
SAMs training, held in facilities across the state, is an understaffed, too, and dont
interactive experience where caseworkers enter set-up have the time to help us.
scenarios based on real-life experiences that are staffed by
actors with a variety of backgrounds, as well as safety experts I thank Jesus that this
who have law enforcement or corrections backgrounds. (different) position opened up
for me to move to, because
The goal in every scenario is for caseworkers to assess the the last several intakes I went
situation, determine whether their personal safety is at risk as out on I was terrified.
they attempt to do their job, and react accordingly. In most

11
http://www.sam-inc.org/ Accessed July 19, 2017

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 26


cases, the correct course of action is for caseworkers to
leave, get to a safe location and contact their supervisor.
SNAPSHOT:
For the caseworkers, they get an as real to life as
possible training without actually being put in harms
CAMBRIA COUNTY
way, said Frederick, a former law-enforcement officer. Betzi White, Cambria County
The caseworkers receive real-time feedback, and the Children & Youth Services
biggest takeaway hopefully is that they need to be safe in administrator, highlighted some
order to help anyone else. facts from 2016 to show the
incredible number of children
Frederick said the situations presented in SAMs scenarios theyve assessed:
are based on real-life situations he and his wife, Tracy a
According to DHS, the total
former Dauphin County caseworker encountered when
population of Cambria County is
they worked together in the field. In many cases, 139,381; the population under age
Frederick said, he was concerned about his wifes safety 18 is roughly 27,000.
because she would go to homes alone holding only a
clipboard and a pen and enter situations that law Last year, we did a kid count,
White said of her agency
enforcement professionals would approach only in pairs
determining how many individual
and with self-defense knowledge, as well as Tasers, guns,
children its caseworkers saw in
handcuffs and other defensive weapons. 2016. We came up with an
My hope is that caseworkers leave the training with a unduplicated count of all kids at
9,840.
better understanding of ways of keeping themselves safe
while still being able to complete their daily tasks, Thats 37 percent of the entire
Frederick said. population under 18.

At a SAM training event in March 2017, Bucks County White continued: And nobodys
caseworkers moved through three scenarios, working in taking into account the amount of
work being done, the time and effort
pairs. Each situation presented different challenges. For
and stress involved in taking a
example, in one mock situation, an actively suicidal man in
report. And thats just to get a report
a home with an apparent meth lab pulled a knife and thats not even talking about the
threatened to kill himself. In another, an obviously amount of work involved if a child
intoxicated mother living in a filthy home with dog feces must be placed. And were placing
and trash on the floor had sent her young child to a kids every week.
nearby park with the family dog as the baby-sitter.
White added that her county in
Again, Frederick stressed, these scenarios are based on particular suffers from an extremely
real-life situations that caseworkers have encountered. high percentage of drug abusers,
particularly opioid users.
Across the state, caseworkers, supervisors and
Caseworkers are continually
administrators gave SAMs safety training resoundingly
assessing parents and caregivers
high marks:
who are active substance
SAMs training has been the most positive abusers, she said. We know a lot
training that Ive seen in 25 years, Fayette of its heroin, and fentanyl and bath
salts and meth.
Countys DAuria said. All caseworkers come back
with glowing reports of the training.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 27


SAMs training was the best training Ive ever been to, one Cambria County caseworker said.
I thought that SAMs training was awesome, Centre Countys Sprinkle said.

Byers said the CWRC has worked with SAM to create new safety training that is within the required 120
hours of coursework.

My hope is that one day all newly hired caseworkers will have the opportunity to attend this training,
Frederick said. I believe giving them the tools or knowledge of being safe while completing home visits
will better prepare them for doing their jobs, and feeling safer when doing so.

Revamping Charting the Course


The overall feeling at this point is for Charting the Course to move much of the theory and
presentation of knowledge exercises to prerequisite online courses and to use the classroom time for
more interactive, experiential learning, Byers said.

Its a really nice way to get the feel of


JUST MORE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING LIKE being out in the field, learning without
LEARNING HOW TO WRITE A REPORT, LEARNING actual kids and families, Byers said.
HOW TO ENGAGE PEOPLE. IT SHOULD BE ABOUT As we continue to get feedback from
HOW YOU APPLY THE THEORY THAT YOU counties and the state, there will
continue to be changes.
LEARNED IN COLLEGE.
In August 2017, Byers said via email
JOANNE VAN SAUN, ADMINISTRATOR,
LUZERNE COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH
that several changes in that vein were
already being piloted at the CWRC
including a Simulation Lab that is set
up with cameras and microphones to allow for a more authentic experience, as only the standardized
client (actor) and participant are in the room, Byers said. The CWRCs goal is for the lab to go live
possibly by mid-October 2017.

Administrators and caseworkers said they are on board with those types of changes, especially if
motivational interviewing skills including specific training on defusing hostile situations and court
hearing practice are incorporated.

It would be great if they did more simulation-focused training, Monroe Countys Grace said, even if
theyre talking about the same material and the same content. If they were able to present that
differently, caseworkers would get a lot more out of it.

Mock court hearings would be helpful, just more experiential learning like learning how to write a
report, learning how to engage people, Luzerne Countys Van Saun said. It should be about how you
apply the theory that you learned in college.

Both Byers and DHS Utz stressed, however, that even with more experiential learning, casework
supervisors, managers and administrators will continue to be key in helping new caseworkers learn to
do the job properly.

Training is an essential part, but its never going to get you the whole way there, Byers said. Theres
strong evidence that workers need support in the classroom and an enhanced connection to the field,
including making sure theres enough support for new caseworkers in their agencies.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 28


Supervisory coaching and mentoring is key in that transfer of learning, Utz said. I might be able to
demonstrate some of the skills in that simulation training, but when Im in the field its going to be very
different.

Having supervisors mentoring and coaching is really key to supporting the training that we do through
the Resource Center.

Recommendations
We recommend that the University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Works Child Welfare Resource
Center:

Continue to work with county administrators, caseworkers, instructors and others to gather
feedback on how to improve Charting the Course.
Change Charting the Course to better prepare new caseworkers by replacing much of the
transfer of knowledge learning to more experiential learning, such as:
o Training on how to interview hostile people,
o Learning motivational interviewing techniques,
o Practicing how to de-escalate a hostile situation,
o Adding personal safety training similar to that provided by Service Access & Management
Inc.,
o Providing hands-on self-defense training,
o Teaching hands-on lessons on illegal substances and substance abuse, and
o Holding mock court hearings, perhaps with retired Family Court judges who would volunteer
their time.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 29


Report Observation 3: Unmanageable caseloads and burdensome, redundant
paperwork prevent CYS caseworkers from effectively protecting children from
harm.
How many cases should a CYS caseworker have at one time? Caseload is a critical metric to determine
whether caseworkers have enough time to see the children and families they are trying to serve, but the
answer to that question varies widely across the industry.

For example, a 2007 study published in 2009 by the National Association of Social Workers looked at the
number of available work hours per month (118.25) per caseworker, then determined the average
number of hours per case (6.84). 12 By dividing those two numbers, researchers determined that the
maximum number of cases per caseworker should be 17.

Other state and national studies have


NO, I DONT HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES RIGHT pegged the optimal caseload number
NOW FOR CASEWORKERS TO EFFECTIVELY CARE between 12 and 20 cases per
FOR CHILDREN. caseworker, depending upon the unit
the caseworker belongs to.
GINA DAURIA, ADMINISTRATOR,
FAYETTE COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES According to Brian Bornman, executive
director of the Pennsylvania Children
and Youth Administrators (PCYA), a
program through the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), the current national
recommendation is 30 cases per caseworker. But that number, he said, was pulled out of thin air.

To better determine a caseload size number, Bornman said, PCYA is working with the Penn State
Network for Child Protection and Well-being to try to determine scientifically what the ideal caseload is.
As of spring 2017, researchers were pulling data and quantifying factors based on an algorithm for how
long it takes to handle each kind of case.

Bornman said he believes using caseloads is an unreliable method for determining how much a
caseworker can handle, because one case could have one child involved while another case has 10
children involved. Hed prefer to see a case-weighting system.

Every caseworker has one or two families or cases that take up 90 percent of their time, said
Bornman, a lawyer who has worked as a child-welfare caseworker and as legal counsel for a county
child-welfare agency.

Administrators, caseworkers and supervisors from our 13 focus counties and beyond all cited
unmanageable caseloads as a major source of stress for workers, particularly throughout 2015 and
2016.

Yamatani, Hide; Engel, Rafael; Spjeldnes, Solveig. Child Welfare Worker Caseload: Whats Just Right? Social
12

Work, October 2009.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 30


No, I dont have enough resources
right now for caseworkers to
effectively care for children,
VOICES: YOUTH WHO HAVE
Fayette Countys DAuria said. The BEEN THROUGH THE SYSTEM
biggest complaint I hear from my
caseworkers is that they dont have (Note: Names have been changed to protect privacy.)
enough time to spend with the Cassie: Cassie was 8 when her mom took her to school
families. one day and never picked her up. Over the next 10
years, she spent time living in multiple situations: with
Right after the CPSL (changes), my
family members, in 10 to 15 foster homes, in mental-
caseworkers were at 30 to 1 health facilities, in group homes and on the street.
(caseload), and they could not do it.
It was not possible, she said. She had eight caseworkers over those 10 years, and had
good experiences and bad experiences with them. Most
DAuria said in spring 2017 that her of all, she said, she wishes they would have believed her
Intake unit was averaging 15:1 when she told them what she was living through,
caseloads, and her In-home unit including being gang-raped at age 12.
was averaging 20:1. Even with that, Sarah: Sarah entered the system at age 16, after years
they will tell you the amount of of physical and emotional abuse by her mother. Sarah
time, the meetings, theres just not said her family was well known to county CYS: I saw 14
enough time to engage the different Intake workers, and none of them ever helped
families, especially if theyre dealing me, she said.
with addictions. Even when she was removed from the home in 2013, her
Our intake caseworkers have nine siblings continued to live in with their mother until 2015,
she said. My siblings, I raised them, she said. I was so
to 10 new cases per week, when
worried about leaving them that I didnt want anyone to
they should have nine to 10 per know I was being locked down in the basement.
month, said one caseworker who
requested anonymity for fear of Sarah had two ongoing caseworkers in roughly four
retribution. It definitely affects us, years: I think I was one of the lucky ones.
because we cant spend all the time Lilah: Lilah was 4 when her day care called CYS after
we should be spending to find out seeing repeated bruises and black eyes. Over the next
the underlying causes of why a decade, she went back to live with her mom, who
family is coming before us. Were continued to abuse her. From age 13, Lilah was in and
just Band-Aiding cases. out of the system, living with foster families and in group
homes.
When I came here, they averaged
When Lilah entered college, she majored in psychology
35 cases (per caseworker), said
so she could become a CYS caseworker. Having worked
Marc Cherna, director of the in the field for six years, she is now enrolled in the CWEL
Allegheny County Department of program. (See Educating Social Workers, page 19.)
Human Services. It was completely
out of control.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 31


Of the 13 county administrators interviewed for this report, all
said unequivocally that they did not have adequate resources to
handle the demand of cases they receive.
VOICES:
We are understaffed and overloaded based on the number of
CASEWORKERS
cases we have, said Betzi White, Cambria County Children & ON PAPERWORK
Youth Services administrator. Beginning in 2014, we had some
A lot of the paperwork is
idea of what the CPSL changes were going to bring. For
redundant.
example, when we were doing morning Intake review, we were
tracking which reports were GPS then but would be a CPS Its never-ending.
report in 2015.
Its paperwork for the sake of
We expected a 10 percent increase in reports, she continued. paperwork.
In fact, Cambria County saw a 29 percent increase in CPS
Bureaucrats broke the system
reports from 2014 to 2015 and had no more resources when they added so many
allocated to it. assessments and paperwork
requirements.
Burdensome paperwork
White was among county leaders who shared their frustrations Paperwork is just a way for the
for this report with the amount of paperwork caseworkers are government to cover their butts.
required to complete.
Theres just not enough time in
People seem to think because were using computers, were the day to do all the paperwork
working faster. Were not, White said. What nobody Im required to do.
accounted for was the time it takes for a caseworker to come
back from the field and enter all of the information they The paperwork has doubled in
gathered into the computer. the last 13 years, and 13 years
ago we didnt have computers.
Several administrators and caseworkers interviewed estimated
that, for every 45 minutes spent with a family, it requires A piece of paper doesnt make
between two and five hours of paperwork. a child safe.

You spend more time on paperwork than on helping families, I think the amount of paperwork
said one Cambria County caseworker. is utterly ridiculous.

Caseworkers need to be able to spend more time with their I simply dont have enough time
families than on doing paperwork, Crawford Countys Schwab in the day to see families and do
said. all of the required
documentation afterward.
The amount of paper we generate for a case is quite honestly
ridiculous, Centre Countys Sprinkle said. Every time theres a
new initiative or change in the law, theres more paper to fill out.

Weve been part of time studies, and weve clearly shown that it doesnt matter what county you work
in, the majority of your time is spent doing paperwork, Sprinkle continued.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 32


One of the time studies Centre County participated in was done in 2014. In total, 19 counties took part
in the study, which looked at how caseworkers spent their time each day from 2010 through 2014
meaning the data was collected before the CPSL changes took effect.

Overall, the study found, caseworkers were spending nearly 30 percent of their time doing paperwork,
more than any other job duty in any given day.

Now, said Crawford Countys Schwab, Doing paperwork takes 60 to 70 percent of a caseworkers time.
It consists of multiple assessments that really get down to some of the root causes, but nobody took
into account how time-consuming that is.

Weve lost a lot of long-term talent in child welfare because of the increased paperwork requirements,
PCYAs Bornman said.

For example, he added, before 2015, when a CPS referral came in, a caseworker could visit with the
family, come back to the office, fill out a CY-48 form which used to be one page front and back in
about 15 minutes, and then fax it to ChildLine.

Now, the CY-48 form 13 is roughly nine pages and takes about an hour to complete, Bornman said. And
once a caseworker has finished the form and a supervisor approves it, often when its sent to ChildLine
for the final disposition to be registered, the form is sent back because one box or another wasnt
checked.

Thats part of whats breaking the system, Bornman said.

Among other demands on county CYS agency employees time is the need to more closely monitor
third-party vendors who provide In-Home Purchased Services for children and families. When a vendor
submits an invoice claiming to have provided a service, such as in-home counseling or an after-school
program, CYS fiscal staff must verify that:

1. The service was indeed provided, and


2. The service was provided in accordance with statutory requirements and associated
regulations, as well as relevant DHS guidelines.

Multiple audits by the Department of the Auditor Generals Bureau of Children & Youth Audits have
found that these checks are often not performed, creating an environment where fraud is a possibility.

Separate computer systems


In terms of inputting the information, caseworkers, supervisors and administrators actually work with
two different computer systems: one at the state level, and one at the county level.

Currently, each county is using one of five software products. For example, Philadelphia and Allegheny
counties each have their own systems. In 56 counties, though, the software used is called CAPS, which
stands for Child Accounting and Profile System.

13
Titled Child Protective Services Investigation Report. See Appendix B

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 33


CAPS vendor, Avanco International Inc., is headquartered in
Fairfax, Va., with a satellite office in Camp Hill, Pa. Regional PAPERWORK:
Director Steve James said CAPS got its start in 2006 in
Crawford County. Over the years, as other counties began to STREAMLINING
see the electronic paperwork process, they joined. THE PROCESS
From there, he said, the company expanded its service to the One of the paperwork issues
current 56 counties, which have more than 4,000 users on the that caseworkers frequently
system. Each county has its own contract with Avanco, which highlighted for this report was
customizes CAPS based on county leaderships preference, he the need to fill out and have
said. families sign a multitude of
releases so that caseworkers
The thing thats unique about it is that CAPS was really can access a familys medical
developed with the counties, James said. records, human-services files,
school records and more.
Avanco did not built CAPS and then market it to counties.
Counties have been involved with design, testing and Each place has its own special
production since it began. form that we have to fill out, and
it takes forever to gather them
James highlighted that CAPS is 100 percent web-enabled, all, get them filled out
which means they can use it in the field. completely and correctly, get
them signed, then fax them to
I think that really helped with the adoption of it, he said. the appropriate agency, said
one caseworker. It takes up a
Despite county caseworkers involvement in developing the
ridiculous amount of my time.
software, it and its state-level counterpart, the Child
Welfare Information System (CWIS) remains one of the One solution might be for the
most-cited examples of what negatively affects caseworkers General Assembly to give CYS
across the state. caseworkers the same rights as
Court-Appointed Special
CAPS could be a great tool, but it wasnt thought out Advocates (CASAs), who are
completely, said one Cambria County caseworker. It doesnt volunteers that advocate on a
do much of what we need it to do to help us be efficient. childs behalf in court.
According to the statute
At the state level, CWIS was implemented in 2015 with a
creating CASAs (42 Pa.C.S.
strict, hard-and-fast deadline at the same time the CPSL
6342), CASAs shall have full
changes went into effect. Even though they are different access to review all records,
software systems produced by different vendors, CWIS and including records under 23
CAPS must talk to each other seamlessly. Pa.C.S. Ch.63 (relating to child
protective services) relating to
CWIS that was like a tsunami hit, James said of its rushed the child and other information,
implementation. It basically took all of our priority. We really unless restricted by the court.
didnt work on much else during that development period.
This unfettered access would
The implementation was pushed into production quickly, he provide caseworkers the ability
continued. There were deadlines that had to be met, and we to gather applicable records for
met them. But we kind of paid the price for it for about a the children they are tasked
year. with protecting.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 34


James said Avanco went from having approximately 800 support inquiries per month to about 1,700 per
month. It was just constant support. That did start to tail off some after about a year.

James said he sympathized with caseworkers, especially those in 2015, when CWIS had to be
implemented suddenly and the CPSL changes took place.

Not only did they have to get through all these technical difficulties, but they also had brand-new
(CPSL) guidelines, which required much more reporting, James said. So not only did they have to
struggle with system challenges, but they had to report at a higher rate.

PCYAs Bornman testified before the state House Children & Youth Committee in April 2016, and he
addressed the caseload ratios and unrealistic demands on caseworkers, including the new
documentation requirements in CWIS, which at that time wasnt yet functional:

Most counties have seen a 35 to 50 percent increase in the number of investigations they must
complete, with some counties seeing sustained increases over 2014 investigations of over 100
percent for 2015. I have seen caseworkers carrying upwards of 50 to 75 cases.

Caseworkers are so overwhelmed that they have only two options. They can either spent all
their time working to try and get everything done, to the detriment of their own families and
health, or they make choices about what is most important and the other responsibilities simply
get pushed down the road.

These increased demands have created a situation in which the overload of cases has been
going to the most-seasoned caseworkers out of necessity; however, those workers then get
burned out and move on to other jobs with less pressure and frustration. This has resulted in
newer caseworkers having more difficult and larger caseloads, and many of them burn out
quickly.

I have recently been to one county which had only two-thirds of their caseload-carrying
caseworkers filled. Another had half of the caseload-carrying caseworkers leave within a two-
week time period. These types of vacancies are unsustainable, and it should be little surprise
that the quality of the work suffers.

In Cambria County, one caseworker summed up the challenges of her job succinctly.

We love what we do. We love to make a difference in a childs life but we dont have time to do that
anymore, she said.

Recommendations
We recommend that DHS:
Work to reduce paperwork requirements so that caseworkers can spend more time in the field
with their families. Specifically, DHS should work with the General Assembly to eliminate the
requirement that CY-48 forms must be filled out for all GPS referrals.
Encourage counties to budget to use clerical case aides to type up caseworkers notes from the
field, perhaps at a 1-aide-to-5-caseworkers ratio, to allow caseworkers to spend more time in
the field with their families.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 35


Work with the CWRC to evaluate whether safety and risk assessments can be combined into one
form.
Have its CAPS review board work with the vendor to prioritize software time-saving
improvements such as:
o All children button or dropdown, false allegation button and both parents button
o Auto-populate personal and demographic information after first form
o Allow for one case to be assigned to two caseworkers

We recommend that DHS and county CYS agencies management:


Add procedures to agencies invoice and review procedures performed by caseworkers to
substantiate that invoiced In-Home Purchased Services were actually provided and were
provided in adherence to DHS regulations and executed contract terms, where applicable.

We recommend that the General Assembly:


Give caseworkers the authority to receive necessary medical, drug-and-alcohol-treatment and
school records without requiring releases, using language similar to 42 Pa. C.S. 6342(d)(1),
which provides Court Appointed Special Advocates with such powers.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 36


Report Observation 4: Pennsylvania caseworkers, particularly those at the entry
level, earn a remarkably low salary given the educational requirements, daily
work complexity, and potentially dangerous components of their jobs.
Average salaries for new bachelors degree graduates has been on the rise. In fact, for 2016, the average
salary for new bachelors degree graduates was $50,556, according to the National Association of
Colleges and Employers a 5 percent increase from 2014, when new grads averaged $48,217. 14 More
specifically, social sciences majors averaged $46,585 for 2016.

By contrast, starting salaries in Pennsylvania for Caseworker I positions those most commonly filled
by new college graduates averaged $30,018 in 2016 in our 13 focus counties. Based on a 40-hour
workweek, that means these caseworkers earn on average only $14 per hour.

Nearly all county administrators interviewed


WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE THEIR PAY for this report advocated for higher pay for
COMPARABLE TO OTHER PROFESSIONS THAT their caseworkers. Several administrators
DO SIMILAR DUTIES. said their starting salaries are so low that
they have workers receiving Supplemental
JULIA SPRINKLE, DIRECTOR, Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
CENTRE COUNTY OFFICE OF CHILDREN & YOUTH SERVICES benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

I would increase the salaries of all staff


significantly, said Luzerne Countys Van Saun, who is among those with workers receiving SNAP
benefits.

I wish they could have higher salaries, agreed Erie Countys Rees. I wish that we could compensate
them adequately for the type of work that theyre doing.

My starting salary is $29,484, said Fayette Countys DAuria, who added that her countys most-recent
union contract takes workers from Caseworker I to Caseworker II after about 18 months, giving them a
raise to $35,000. Our goal (with the contract) was to get them to the point where they were carrying
cases on their own and making a decent living.

However, DAuria added, she has predominantly Caseworker I staff because once workers are promoted
to Caseworker II, they usually move to another social-service agency, such as Parole or the Department
of Public Welfare, where they make more money. It seems like were always behind, she said of her
agencys salaries compared with other county-level social-services agencies.

We really need to make their pay comparable to other professions that do similar duties, Centre
Countys Sprinkle said. This should be competitive pay, akin to a teacher or police officer.

14
Heres What the Average Grad Makes Right Out of College. Time: Money. April 22, 2015.
http://time.com/money/collection-post/3829776/heres-what-the-average-grad-makes-right-out-of-college/
Accessed Aug. 3, 2017.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 37


Monroe Countys Grace agreed that caseworkers salaries should be comparable. I would increase their
salary to be never a penny less than a teacher or a probation officer or a county assistance maintenance
worker makes, she said.

Cambria County CYS Administrative Officer Matthew Conjelko recommended a similar pay scale:

Staff starting salaries and benefits for workers should be no less than 3 percent below the
average starting salaries of teachers in the county of operation, with supervisory and
management salaries reflecting an appropriate proportional increase in line with responsibilities
and experience. Current workers should also have similar compensation based on a similar
formula with teachers salaries.

White, Cambria Countys administrator, said she takes particular issue with some of the duties her
caseworkers must perform. They have to watch people pee in a cup. They have to notice if someones
trying to use someone elses urine, she said of her staff having to administer drug tests. Id like them
to feel like theyre being compensated commensurate with what theyre doing.

One of Whites caseworkers who


ID LIKE THEM TO FEEL LIKE THEYRE BEING agreed with her assessment said, How
COMPENSATED COMMENSURATE WITH WHAT can anybody justify the salaries in this
job? With what we see and what we
THEYRE DOING.
have to do?
BETZI WHITE, ADMINISTRATOR,
CAMBRIA COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES Many administrators and experts
stressed that one of the major
problems is that the cost of salaries is
split among the county, the state and the federal government.

PCYAs Bornman said the breakdown is roughly 17 percent paid by the county, 69 percent paid by the
state and 14 percent paid by the federal government.

Though counties pay the smallest portions, decisions on whether to fill vacant positions are often made
by a countys commissioners or executive board and that sometimes can cause a rift between county
children and youth agencies (CCYAs) and commissioners.

For example, several administrators said, county commissioners sometimes see open caseworker
positions as a way to potentially save money, so they will not allow the administrator to hire to fill the
caseworker spot for a given length of time.

White has dealt with that issue in Cambria County. Our commissioners have to approve to fill vacancies
or create new positions, she said. We got new commissioners a few years ago who support filling
vacancies when they occur, but our previous commissioners liked us to wait for a period of time before
filling a position to save them money.

However, she added, she also had to keep overtime down. In 2016, she said, she spent time every day
with a spreadsheet, repeatedly having to explain to county commissioners why her caseworkers had
overtime.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 38


Whites struggle between hiring caseworkers and minimizing overtime was a common theme among
most of the 12 other county administrators. And though administrators overall believed that an across-
the-board salary increase is warranted, all agreed that pay is certainly not the only reason for high
turnover.

I dont feel its all about money, but its a factor, said Delaware Countys Gordon, who added she
would bump all workers salaries by about $3,000 if she could.

Gordon was among the many administrators those who expressed pride in their staffs, calling them
dedicated and committed.

This work has to be in your blood, Gordon said. It is, like, The Few, The Proud, The Child-Welfare
Workers.

It isnt only about money for people, Monroe Countys Grace agreed. Yes, they want to be fairly
compensated, but its about having that ability to truly do the work that they set out to do in the first
place.

Recommendations
We recommend that DHS, county commissioners (or other county-level administrations) and
appropriate unions:
Evaluate salaries for caseworkers and supervisors and, where possible, increase salaries based on
experience, educational attainment and equivalent human-services positions.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 39


Report Observation 5: Because of the reasons highlighted in Report
Observations 1 through 4, high turnover among caseworkers greatly inhibits
Pennsylvanias ability to effectively protect children.
Given the sudden dramatic spike in the number of child-abuse reports that county CYS agencies were
dealing with in 2015, after the CPSL changes went into effect, a rational expectation would be that there
would be more caseworkers now than before.

However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of child, family and school social workers in
local government agencies in Pennsylvania has remained stable since 2012 and is expected to continue
to remain relatively stable:

Number of social workers in Pennsylvania


2012 2014 2024

Child, Family & School 4,050 4,000 3,950


Social Workers

As a result, the number of caseworkers remaining stable as work increased plus too little training, too
many cases and too little pay created high turnover rates.

In 2016, PCYA surveyed 66 counties to determine their turnover percentages during the 2014-15 fiscal
year. Here is the data for the 12 of our 13 focus counties that participated:

Turnover rates (per year for 13 focus counties)


County Total # CYS staff Total # direct CYS % turnover % turnover
staff during FY14-15 during FY14-15
(Agency) (Direct service)
Allegheny 542 264 12.5 18.5
Bucks 191 113 15.0 16.0
Cambria 69 40 14.5 20.0
Centre 45 27 11.1 11.1
Crawford 53 28 26.0 43.0
Dauphin 153 68 31.0 50.0
Delaware 246 100 10.0 16.0
Erie 216 92 11.0 12.0
Fayette 53 36 9.7 17.7
Luzerne 201 129 10.4 12.4
Monroe 75 41 32.6 32.6
York 146 75 23.0 40.0

In the worst cases, counties saw direct-service turnover as high as 50 percent (Dauphin), 43 percent
(Crawford) and 40 percent (York).

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 40


Being a children and youth caseworker is the most difficult
job you can do, said Allegheny Countys Cherna. People
are going to continue to leave; its the nature of this
VOICES:
business. I always expect 10 to 20 percent to leave. Its CASEWORKERS
pretty entry-level, and many of our workers are young, so ON JOB DEMANDS
they have life events that keep them moving, so theres a
normal amount of turnover to be expected. AND TURNOVER
Theres actually a disincentive to stay at Children and A lot of my co-workers are having
Youth in comparison with other human-services jobs, said breakdowns. A few of them cry
Lynne Kallus-Rainey, director of Bucks County Children & every week because theyre so
Youth Social Services Agency. At other agencies, you have overwhelmed.
a regular work schedule, and you dont have the stress.
Weve been at half staff for pretty
(Caseworkers) are susceptible to child tragedy every day, much the whole two and a half
to being called every name in the book any day, and the years Ive been there.
caseloads are much higher than they can manage, Kallus-
The turnover is out of this world.
Rainey continued. The job just keeps getting bigger, and
you cant expect one person to do the type of job thats People start here wanting to make
now expected of a caseworker. a difference, but then because of
the pay and the stress, they just
Fayette Countys DAuria agreed: People get in this field leave.
because they want to make a difference, and they leave
because theres no time to do that, she said. Ive lost We cant give our (clients) enough
many, many good workers because they burn out. It time; we cant focus on them the
becomes very overwhelming, and for their own mental way we should be able to.
health and well-being, they have to leave.
Nobody can do this job. Nobody.
Child welfare is not a respected profession; were never
right in anything we do. You sacrifice your own kids for
everyone elses. I didnt see my
When people leave, they mostly leave not because of the own kids last night, or the day
office but because of the job, Centre Countys Sprinkle before.
said. We do a lot of in-house things for morale and
Caseworkers are leaving faster
acknowledgement. Theres so much negativity out there,
now than they used to.
so I try hard to infuse the office as a safe place, a place
where we care about each other. Its totally different from even two
years ago, because now its
The turnover in our agency is not helpful to the families
nonstop.
we work with, said Crawford Countys Schwab. Its
causing them to have to tell their story and restart from I dont want to tell anybody what I
the beginning with yet another worker. It causes them to do because they wont understand
be in the system longer. that Im not a baby-snatcher.

And we have a lot of workers whose heart is in the right


place, but theyre just overwhelmed by the paperwork, Schwab continued. Youre making decisions
about the future of children; whats more stressful than that?

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 41


The county is proactive in recruiting new
staff, but because its so hard to fill
vacancies partially due to the nature of
A DIFFERENT MODEL:
the challenging work, theres too much PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
work for the number of people we have,
said Delaware Countys Gordon. Is there As counties across the Commonwealth continue to
a possibility mistakes will be made? Yes, struggle with high turnover, heavy caseloads and
difficulty hiring, Philadelphia County has taken the
especially if you have a work unit thats
lead in creating new systems that, according to
stretched so thin.
county DHS Commissioner Cynthia Figueroa, are
Erie Countys Rees agreed that turnover at having a big impact.
her agency has affected the quality of care The reform, Improving Outcomes for Children
her caseworkers have been able to (IOC), began in 2013 after county leaders realized
provide: The increase in the workload major changes were needed to make the CYS
due to the changes in the CPSL has not system functional again. IOC focuses on each
been proportionate to an increase in staff family having one case manager and one plan, with
complement or funding. services in the community, Figueroa said.
Now, instead of the countys DHS handling all CYS
When the workload is unmanageable, it
cases from beginning to end, case management is
is natural that there will be mistakes, she
done by private, community-based organizations
continued. With the vulnerable children similar to the way Florida handles its system.
we work with, mistakes are not
acceptable, but without adequate So, Figueroa explained, As a department, we
resources our concern is that they are retain many essential functions of the system: We
run the (countys) 24/7 child-abuse hotline, conduct
inevitable.
investigations, identify placements and assist with
No one wants to be in that position, but permanency for children whose parental rights
that is the reality that our system is living have been terminated.
with at this point. But once children and families are accepted into
the system, one of seven nonprofits steps in and
My workers dont feel like they can have
handles the ongoing work with the families. The
a life outside of Children and Youth, said agencies are known as Community Umbrella
Monroe Countys Grace. Theyre dealing Agencies (CUA).
with constant, constant changes and the
constant monitoring that has to take place Although this model seems to be a viable option, it
is still too early to fully assess its effectiveness.
to make sure that were doing our best to
keep kids safe. Its an almost Figueroa also touted the 2010-11 creation of DHS
insurmountable task with the kind of University (DHSU), the countys own training
turnover we have. system. All new staff still attend Charting the
Course, but Figueroa said DHSU is able to adapt
Grace said she believes the profession its curriculum to adjust to the ever-changing needs
suffers from a lack of incentives for of children and families in Philadelphia.
caseworkers to retain their jobs.
To address caseload size, in fall 2016, Philadelphia
Caseloads are out of control, their pay is committed to funding a case ratio of 10:1. Figueroa
low in fact, in some respects, I dont said caseloads are now down to roughly 11:1.
know that there is enough money to keep
people in this job.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 42


The problem is always trying to retain the staff, agreed York County Administrator Terry Clark, who
saw almost 90 percent caseworker turnover in the course of 24 months. I dont know which comes
first: Getting the caseload sizes down or getting the right amount of staff. But we cant decrease the
caseload sizes because people keep leaving.

Like other administrators, Clark said the highest turnover occurs in his Intake unit, which notoriously has
the most stressful positions. Thats where it really just keeps turning over, he said. Even when you
have to hire new caseworkers, what a lot of people forget is they cant just come on and take cases.
They still have onboarding and training to go through. It takes at least six months to a year before you
can give a caseworker a full caseload. But we dont have the luxury to wait that long anymore.

Clark, whose background includes time as a caseworker as well as time working on policy at the state
level, said in spring 2017 that most of his casework staff had been on the job for fewer than two years.

In Intake, 80 percent of them are here under a year, he said. To have a workforce thats
predominantly under one year, Ive never seen that in my 25 years of doing this. Its unprecedented.

Recommendation
We recommend that the suggestions offered for Report Observations 1 through 4 be followed to
decrease caseworker turnover.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 43


Report Observation 6: Other state-level groups and agencies are reviewing the
same problems within Pennsylvanias child-welfare system in an effort to
find solutions.
The Department of the Auditor General is not the only state-level agency to have been made aware of
the problems that exist within Pennsylvanias child-welfare system. Since at least 2015, other groups
have been examining the struggles facing caseworkers, including extreme job stress, low salary and high
turnover.

AOPC Caseworker Retention Workgroup


Among the task forces or roundtables created was the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts
Office of Children & Families in the Courts Caseworker Retention Workgroup. Established in May 2015,
this workgroup comprises 38 professionals involved in all levels of child welfare across the state,
including juvenile court judges, county commissioners, county administrators, state officials,
dependency attorneys, PCYA, the CWRC and the Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN).

For the workgroups 2016 State Roundtable Report, 15 members examined three topics, including the
impact of caseworker retention on permanency for children. The group highlighted the same issues
detailed in this report:

Caseworkers who lack the education and training, who carry caseloads that are too high to
manage, who struggle with the impact on their personal lives and who lack the organization
structure or necessary supervisory support often become overwhelmed and leave their jobs.

Specifically, the workgroup broke down the impact of caseworker turnover on the courts, CCYAs, county
commissioners and the state, and children and families, as well as the fiscal implications associated with
turnover.

Among the impacts the workgroup found:


Turnover creates a ripple effect: One caseworker leaves, creating increased workloads for other
caseworkers, which results in more resignations;
Increased liability with less-experienced staff;
Increased continuances in court because a new caseworker does not have the knowledge or
information readily available during the hearing. Continuances can lead to children staying in care
longer;
Increased cost and liability to the county; and
Difficulty filling positions with qualified staff through the Civil Service. 16

Among the impact the workgroup found specifically on children and families: 17
Having to relive the trauma by telling their story over and over again;
Delays in reunification;
Information getting lost in translation or lost completely;
Delays due to newer caseworkers time to familiarize themselves with the case;

15
http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/assets/files/page-447/file-1507.pdf Accessed Aug. 8, 2017
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 44


A new caseworker taking a different approach to the case, which requires children and parents to
have to learn the rules all over; and
Delays in a family sharing their needs and struggles with someone unfamiliar.

The workgroups second report, the 2017 State Roundtable Report, 18 also highlighted the fiscal
implications of high turnover. Specifically, it surveyed counties and examined the costs associated with
individual turnover during 2015-16, then multiplied that amount by the number of caseworkers who
resigned during the year. The amount varies based on factors such as distance traveled for training: 19

Turnover costs per county


Lost investment Number of Total turnover
County Starting salary with turnover of caseworkers who cost for
one caseworker left the agency 2015-16
Bucks $44,791.00 $33,760.98 12 $405,132.00
Westmoreland $38,863.50 $10,469.22 7 $73,284.54
Northampton $39,466.00 $14,944.40 19 $283,943.60
Erie $33,910.00 $14,734.77 9 $132,612.93
Lycoming $36,296.00 $18,568.26 2 $37,136.52
Greene $34,216.00 $7,323.86 15 $109,857.90
Tioga $30,160.00 $6,513.57 12 $78,162.79

In the 2017 report, the workgroup offered suggestions to help improve caseworker retention, including
ones that cost nothing, ones that cost a little and ones that can cost a lot but do little (such as raising
pay without changing organizational structure to better support caseworkers).

The report also found that caseworker retention directly impacts child safety:

A highly-skilled child welfare workforce is necessary to meet the complex and critical needs of the
children and families it serves.

House Children & Youth Committee


In 2016, the state House of Representatives Children & Youth Committee began hearing testimony from
professionals associated with all level of the child-welfare system in Pennsylvania. Among those who
have testified are DHS Secretary Ted Dallas, DHS Utz, county caseworkers, county commissioners and
PCYAs Bornman.

Greg Grasa, the committees executive director, said in May 2017 that, since hes been working with the
House committee, Every day in one way or another, Ive seen how the child-welfare system is
struggling.

The committee has identified the same issues with the system, he said:
Hiring difficulties, especially for those using civil service;

18
http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/assets/files/page-447/file-1636.pdf Accessed Aug. 8, 2017
19
Ibid.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 45


Inadequate training;
Heavy caseloads and too much
paperwork;
A NEW TOOL:
Relatively low pay; and PREDICTIVE RISK
High turnover. MODELING
All of those lead to people leaving the
Before going out to talk with a family for the
profession, Grasa said. first time, Intake caseworkers should ideally
What committee members have learned most, have checked background information on
the family members first. Are any of the
Grasa said, is that the system was already
adults in the report convicted criminals? Is
strained prior to the mandates we put on with the home known to local police as a drug
the Child Protection legislation. house? Has there ever been a prior CYS
call for this family?
And its unsustainable if it continues the way its
going. Along with details in the referral, this
information can help a screener determine
When Utz testified before the committee in April whether to accept a referral for assessment.
2016, she provided a grim picture of the national Yet the time it takes to compile this
state of caseworkers: information is prohibitive because it must be
pulled from separate databases.
Recruitment and retention of public
child welfare staff is a challenge In Allegheny County, thats where the
nationwide. Data suggests that less than Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST)
one-third of staff have formal social work comes in, said Marc Cherna, director of
Allegheny County Department of Human
education, with an annual turnover rate
Services. AFST is a predictive risk modeling
of 30-40 percent. The average length of
tool used to help screeners decide more
employment in public child welfare is quickly and more objectively whether to
less than two years. Supervisors accept a referral for investigation.
generally have three years of experience,
and caseload averages are 24 to 31 cases AFST assesses more than 100 predictive
factors for each child, then produces two
per caseworker. The average salary
numbers (both on a 1-20 scale) assessing
nationwide is $33,000. the childs risk of placement and risk of re-
Utz stressed that Pennsylvania data closely referral. So far, only screeners see the risk
numbers; Intake workers do not see them.
mirrors these nationwide trends.
Paid for through a private foundation, AFST
We must remember that we are not alone when
was implemented in August 2016.
it comes to high turnover rates, because other
states share our challenges and are also seeking Preliminarily, we think were going out on
to find viable solutions, Utz testified. more appropriate cases, Cherna said. We
get a lot of gray-area cases, and this helps
One of the committees goals is to find ways to reduce subjectivity.
raise the profession in the eyes of the public,
But the tool is only one support. Its not the
Grasa said. answer. There is no answer. There is no
magic bullet. But it helps. And anything that
can help I think we should pursue.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 46


(They) would like to look at elevating the image of the profession, like we did in the past for nurses and
teachers, he said. This is good work, and its necessary work.

To that end, the committee is considering whether to recommend legislation to incentive caseworkers
to stay in the profession, he said.

Utz agreed that a concerted effort must be made to improve the publics view of CCYAs and
caseworkers.

Child welfare staff should be respected and valued in their communities, she said. Its critical to the
morale and the health (of our workers), and in helping to eliminate some of the workforce issues that
we have.

The Children & Youth committees hearings will continue in the fall of 2017, according to Grasa. That
hearing will focus on hiring methodologies, including the difficulties counties that use the SCSC have.

Recommendations
We recommend that DHS and county CYS agencies:
Review recommendations from other state-level workgroups and agencies and implement best
practices.
Continue to take part in caseworker retention reviews and hearings.

We recommend that DHS:


Appoint an independent child protection ombudsman, who would review complaints and
recommend system improvements.
Review predictive risk modeling to determine its usefulness in all counties across the state

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 47


Report Observation 7: States such as Florida and Arizona are tackling similar
challenges in their child-welfare systems and are applying divergent methods to
achieve viable solutions.

Florida
When Pennsylvania was passing amendments to its CPSL in 2014, Florida was making sweeping reforms
to its child-welfare system. The reforms came about because of a Miami Herald series called Innocents
Lost, which focused on 477 child deaths in the state over a six-year period, according to Dr. Patricia
Babcock, co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health Integration at Florida State University College
of Medicine.

If the article was never written, nothing would have changed, Babcock said in spring 2017.

Before 2014, Floridas child-welfare system was struggling with many of same problems as
Pennsylvanias, Babcock said. Exacerbating the problem was that, in 2013, Floridas legislature cut
funding to the states Department of Children & Families (DCF) by $80 million which, according to the
Miami Herald, eventually grew to about $100 million.

And Floridas children suffered because of it.

Prior to 2014, We never really had a true practice


WE NEED TO PUT ALL THE SILOS ON model where, from beginning to end, everybody
THE SAME FARM. was looking at the case through a common lens,
Babcock said.
DR. PATRICIA BABCOCK, CO-DIRECTOR,
CENTER FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION AT Like Pennsylvania, Florida has 67 counties and
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE used to operate a state-run, county-administered
system. But Senate Bill 1666 of 2014, which came
about because of the Innocents Lost project,
made a sweeping overhaul.

We converted to a completely different system that now has a true practice model, Babcock said.

Now, when a call comes into Floridas child-abuse hotline, a state employee screens whether the call
warrants an investigation. A community-based investigator, also a state employee, then does the child
protective investigation and determines whether ongoing case management is needed.

But once a family is accepted for services, the states direct involvement ends, Babcock said. The rest of
the process is managed by case-management organizations throughout the state.

DCF contracts with what we call community-based care entities, which are specific to each
community, she said. They are responsible for all of the case-management services, foster care,
kinship care, etc.

Because the changes are relatively new, Babcock said, its tough to assess how well the new system is
working. For example, she said, the complaints about burdensome paperwork and heavy caseloads
persist. Its creating the right efficiencies, she said. We need some organizational psychologists to
come in and say, This is a better way to do more efficient work.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 48


Babcock said she sees positives and negatives about the new system. But does she think at-risk children
in Florida are safer now than they were before 2014-15?

I think there is the potential for them to be safer, she said. Do we do a better job of identifying them?
Absolutely. Do we do a better job of getting them the right services at the right time? Absolutely not.
Because we dont have the resources to meet those demands.

Babcock also echoed sentiments expressed by several Pennsylvania experts about the need for a
community approach to look out and care for at-risk children.

By the time kids come to the attention of DHS, they have gone through the medical system, theyve
been in the community, theyve been in an early-learning or a school environment, sometimes their
parents have been through the criminal justice system, she said. But when things go wrong, its the
child-welfare system that gets blamed.

Safety, permanency and the well-being of children should be a collective priority for all of these
systems rather than a silo approach, she said. We need to put all the silos on the same farm.

Arizona
Until 2014, Arizona was facing problems much like Pennsylvanias. 20,21 For example, when caseworkers
quit, they would often cite the following reasons:

High caseloads (caseworkers were handling an average of 145 cases, seven times the
recommended caseload of 20);
A lack of training;
Inadequate compensation; and
Poor supervision.

Other child-welfare experts cited the constant understaffing, underfunding and lack of technology as
severe stressors for caseworkers. In 2014, the average annual turnover rate for caseworkers was about
35 percent.

Arizonas solution was for then-Gov. Jan Brewer to create an agency, called the Division of Child Safety
and Family Services, dedicated to child welfare. Previously, Arizonas Child Protective Services had been
embedded in the Department of Economic Security, a catch-all department much like Pennsylvanias
DHS. Now, the division is its own cabinet-level department, with a different model for approaching
problems, according to Governing magazine, which spoke to Shalom Jacobs, deputy director of the new
Department of Child Safety:

20
Wogan, J.D. How Arizona Fixed Its Broken Child Welfare System in 2 Years. Governing, April 27, 2017.
http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/gov-arizona-child-welfare-greg-mckay.html Accessed
Aug. 21, 2017.
21
Wogan, J.D. Arizona Makes Child Safety a Priority. Governing, Jan. 28, 2014.
http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/gov-arizona-makes-child-safety-priority-sets-up-
standalone-agency.html Accessed Aug. 21, 2017.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 49


In the past, the agency relied on ad hoc groups that would study an issue for a few months and
recommend solutions. Jacobs says that previous leadership never focused on the processes and
systems that kept breaking down, according to Governing magazine.

Now its the staff themselves who diagnose problems, propose solutions and then try out their
ideas.

Jacobs, a former foster parent and police officer, told Governing magazine for its April 2017 article that
Arizona decided to change its wholesale approach to child welfare:

Historically in Arizona, and in every state around the country, child welfare is riddle with events
that cause constituencies to react heavily. Theyre usually followed by public outcry, knee-jerk
policymaking, funding swings, priority swings and failure.

We put in systems of standard work and visual management. Now this place, which was crisis-
driven every day for decades, has become a very stable and calm organization that responds to
the demands but does it with a certain process in place, and its working.

Jacobs said he believes the system is not fixed, but I would definitely say were on the mend.

Recommendation
We recommend that DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families:
Task one person, perhaps the new child protection ombudsman, with communicating with other
states about their child-welfare systems and recommending best-practice changes to
Pennsylvanias system accordingly.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 50


Conclusion
The child-welfare system is not the sole party responsible for keeping children in Pennsylvania safe; that
process involves stakeholders across the broader community who see at-risk children on a regular basis,
such as pediatricians, teachers, principals, day care workers, therapists, guidance counselors, human
services employees, family members and more.

Changes to the CPSL have helped to raise awareness of child maltreatment among mandated and
permissive reporters, so ChildLine is seeing more calls alleging child abuse. But that increase in calls in
turn means an increase in the workload for CYS caseworkers, particularly Intake caseworkers, who must
assess the safety of children in a short amount of time while being overburdened with cases and
paperwork.

Despite the necessary involvement of the full community, CYS caseworkers take the brunt of the blame
when a child dies and yet they are not trained well enough, are not paid well enough, are not given
access to the resources they need to properly protect these children.

As Cambria County Administrator Betzi White said, We cant take the stress anymore. But if we dont
do this job, then who will? Someone has to fight every day to keep children safe.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 51


Recommendations
We recommend that DHS and other state agencies using the State Civil Service Commission:
1. Update all job descriptions, including educational requirements, at least every two years.

We recommend that DHS:


2. Update the Caseworker I, Caseworker II and Casework Supervisor job descriptions by Jan. 1,
2018, to better reflect the demands of those jobs.
3. Work to reduce paperwork requirements so that caseworkers can spend more time in the field
with their families. Specifically, DHS should work with the General Assembly to eliminate the
requirement that CY-48 forms must be filled out for all GPS referrals.
4. Encourage counties to budget to use clerical case aides to type up caseworkers notes from the
field, perhaps at a 1-aide-to-5-caseworkers ratio, to allow caseworkers to spend more time in
the field.
5. Work with the CWRC to evaluate whether safety and risk assessments can be combined into one
form.
6. Have its review board for CAPS, the primary county-level software used statewide, work with
the vendor, Avanco International, to prioritize software time-saving improvements such as:
All children button or dropdown, false allegation button and both parents button,
Auto-populate personal and demographic information after first form, and
Allow for one case to be assigned to two caseworkers
7. Appoint an independent child protection ombudsman, who would review complaints and
recommend system improvements.
8. Review predictive risk modeling to determine its usefulness in all counties across the state.

We recommend that DHS internal workgroup of county administrators:


9. Evaluate the value or merits of using the State Civil Service Commission to hire children and
youth caseworkers and supervisors.

We recommend that the University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Works Child Welfare Resource
Center:
10. Continue to work with county administrators, caseworkers, instructors and others to gather
feedback on how to improve Charting the Course.
11. Change Charting the Course to better prepare new caseworkers by replacing much of the in-
class or group learning to more experiential learning, such as:
Training on how to interview hostile people,
Learning motivational interviewing techniques,
Practicing how to de-escalate a hostile situation,
Adding personal safety training similar to that provided by Service Access & Management
Inc.,
Providing hands-on self-defense training,
Teaching hands-on lessons on illegal substances and substance abuse, and
Holding mock court hearings, perhaps with retired Family Court judges who would volunteer
their time.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 52


We recommend that the General Assembly:
12. Give caseworkers the authority to receive necessary medical, drug-and-alcohol-treatment and
school records without requiring releases, using language similar to 42 Pa. C.S. 6342(d)(1),
which provides Court Appointed Special Advocates with such powers.

We recommend that DHS, county commissioners (or other county-level administrations) and
appropriate unions:
13. Evaluate salaries for caseworkers and supervisors and, where possible, increase salaries based
on experience, educational attainment and equivalent human-services positions.

We recommend that DHS and county CYS agencies management:


14. Review recommendations from other state-level workgroups and agencies and implement best
practices.
15. Continue to take part in caseworker retention reviews and hearings.
16. Improve agencies invoice and review procedures to substantiate that invoiced In-Home
Purchased Services were actually provided and were provided in adherence to DHS regulations
and executed contract terms, where applicable.

We recommend that DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families:


17. Task one person, perhaps the new child protection ombudsman, with communicating with other
states about their child-welfare systems and recommending best-practice changes to
Pennsylvanias system accordingly.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 53


Acknowledgements
The Department of the Auditor General thanks the following people and organizations for their
cooperation and assistance during the research of this special report:

Marc Cherna, Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth & Families

Lynne Kallus-Rainey, Bucks County Children & Youth Social Services Agency

Betzi White, Michelle Rager and Matthew Conjelko, Cambria County Children and Youth Services

Julia Sprinkle, Centre County Office of Children & Youth Services

Gail Kelly and Kelly Schwab, Crawford County Human Services

Annmarie Kaiser, Dauphin County Social Services for Children and Youth

Deirdre Gordon, Children & Youth Services of Delaware County

Lana Rees and Scott Coughenour, Erie County Office of Children & Youth

Gina DAuria, Fayette County Children and Youth Services

Joanne Van Saun, Luzerne County Children and Youth

Adelaide Grace, Monroe County Children & Youth

Cynthia Figueroa, Philadelphia County Department of Human Services

Terry Clark, York County Office of Children, Youth and Families

Cathy Utz, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth and Families

Brian Bornman, Pennsylvania Children & Youth Administrators

Mike Byers, University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Works Child Welfare Resource Center

Dr. Lynn Carson, PinnacleHealths Childrens Resource Center

Stephen Catanese and Christopher Hundley, SEIU 668

Dr. Patricia Babcock, Florida State University College of Medicine

Ronald Frederick, Service Access & Management Inc.

Jeffrey Wallace, Civil Service Commission

Ciara Meyers family: Hope Rohde, Ron Rohde, Alice Gehman, Stephanie Cordas and Jason Gehman

Steve James, Avanco International

Bev Mackereth

Greg Grasa, House Children & Youth Committee

Cathleen Palm, Center 4 Childrens Justice

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 54


Blake Warenik, National Childrens Alliance

Jim Seip, Kutztown University

Ed Haines and Joe Zilka, SAS Inc.

Cambria County Children and Youth Services caseworkers, social workers and supervisors

The 37 families who contacted the Department of the Auditor General seeking to share their experiences
with Pennsylvanias child-welfare system

The 12 caseworkers who contacted the Department of the Auditor General to share their experiences
working in the child-welfare system

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 55


Glossary
CYS: children and youth services (page 8)

CPSL: Child Protective Services Law (page 8)

DHS: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (page 8)

OCYF: Office of Children, Youth and Families (page 8)

ChildLine: Pennsylvanias 24-hour child-abuse hotline (page 10)

CPS: child protective services (page 13)

GPS: general protective services (page 13)

CAC: child advocacy center (page 16)

CRC: PinnacleHealths Childrens Resource Center (page 16)

CAPTA: Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (page 17)

SCSC: State Civil Service Commission (page 18)

CWEB: Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates (page 19)

CWEL: Child Welfare Education for Leadership (page 19)

CWRC: University of Pittsburgh: School of Social Works Child Welfare Resource Center (page 23)

SAM: Service Access & Management Inc. (page 26)

PCYA: Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators (page 30)

CCAP: County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (page 30)

CWIS: Child Welfare Information System (page 34)

CAPS: Child Accounting and Profile System (page 33)

CASA: Court-Appointed Special Advocates (page 34)

CCYA: county children and youth agency (page 38)

SWAN: Statewide Adoption Network (page 44)

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 56


State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 57
Appendix A

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 58


Caseworker Job Descriptions

Job Title: COUNTY CASEWORKER 1

Job Code: L0623

Definition: This is entry level professional social service work in a County Children and Youth, Mental
Health/Mental Retardation, or Human Services Agency.

Employees in this class participate in formal and informal county agency training programs which
provide knowledge of the methods, procedures, rules and regulations necessary to perform social
service and case management supportive services to children, youth, and families, people who are
mentally disabled, people who are physically challenged, and others to assist them in attaining a more
satisfactory social, economic, emotional, or physical adjustment. The work assigned is limited in scope
and difficulty, and is performed under close supervision, but as knowledges and skills are acquired, more
latitude in judgment and decision making is permitted. Work is performed under the close supervision
of a professional social service or administrative supervisor and is reviewed through individual and
group conferences, assignment of professional reading, attendance at training programs, and the
reading of records and reports.

Examples of Work: Participates in formal and informal training programs which provide basic
knowledge relative to agency purpose, services provided, client population characteristics, and
applicable laws, methods, procedures, rules and regulations governing the operation of the agency.

Learns about the network of available community resources by reviewing resource files, site visits, and
working with and observing higher level caseworker staff.

Receives instruction regarding the reason for and proper completion of applicable forms and paperwork.

Performs a variety of entry level social services and case management duties designed to provide
supportive services to children, youth and families, people who are mentally disabled, people who are
physically challenged, and others.

Assists clients and their families in developing and using their own potential for more adequately
resolving their social, health, emotional and economic problems.

Provides or assists in the provision of social services, such as placement of children and adults in foster
or adoptive homes, day care centers, domiciliary care facilities, or institutions.

Guides clients in home and budget management, housing, child care and parenting skills, employment,
recreation and living arrangements.

Schedules and conducts interviews and follow-up visits to provide service and counseling.

Prepares and provides testimony in court under supervision.

Makes referrals to other public and private social services and community agencies and resources to
meet client needs; assists clients and their families in understanding and utilizing these resources.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 59


Attends and participates in case reviews and supervisory conferences and is exposed to a variety of
learning experiences, including forms and on-the-job training programs, designed to develop
professional and technical skills.

Documents activities and services using designated agency methods and procedures, including social
service summaries, correspondence and reports.

Performs related work as required.

Required Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of the basic principles of economics, sociology,
psychology, and other social sciences.

Knowledge of current social, economic, and health problems and their impact on the growth and
development of people.

Knowledge of human development and behavior including the individual, family, and group.

Ability to understand and accept the needs and rights of others and to work with adults and children
who are physically challenged, mentally disabled, emotionally troubled, and economically
disadvantaged.

Ability to learn, interpret, and apply relevant laws, regulations, and policies governing agency services.

Ability to learn how to conduct individual and family interviews and to use them to identify individual
and family problems.

Ability to learn how to effectively interact with individuals, families, and as a member of a treatment
team.

Ability to plan and organize work, prepare adequate records and reports, set priorities, and learn to
maintain a caseload in an effective and timely manner.

Ability to adequately express ideas orally and in writing.

Minimum Experience and Training: A bachelor's degree which includes or is supplemented by


successful completion of 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal
justice, or other related social sciences;

or

Two years of experience as a County Social Services Aide 3 and two years of college level course work
which includes 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice,
or other related social sciences;

or

Any equivalent combination of experience and training which includes 12 college credits in sociology,
social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social sciences and one year of
experience as a County Social Services Aide 3 or in a similar position performing paraprofessional case
management functions.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 60


Job Title: COUNTY CASEWORKER 2

Job Code: L0624

Definition: This is professional social services work in a County Children and Youth, Mental
Health/Mental Retardation, or Human Services Agency.

Employees in this class provide a full range of social and case management services to children, youth
and families, people who are mentally disabled, people who are physically challenged, and others to
assist them in attaining a more satisfactory social, economic, emotional, or physical adjustment. An
important aspect of this work is the employment of casework skills in obtaining essential information,
counseling clients and members of their families, and helping them to utilize all available
resources. Work also involves the application of problem solving techniques, providing counseling to
maximize service delivery and to achieve service plan goals, monitoring client behavior, and interacting
with agencies which make up the service network. Work is performed in accordance with established
regulations, policies, and procedures, but employees are expected to exercise initiative and judgment in
discharging their duties. Supervision may be exercised over paraprofessional and/or clerical staff. Work
is reviewed by a professional social service or administrative supervisor through regularly scheduled
individual and group conferences, and the review of records and reports.

Examples of Work: Obtains information from clients, members of their families, and others, necessary
for the identification of social, economic, emotional, health or physical problems and for assisting clients
in obtaining a wide variety of services on the basis of established policy, regulations and statutes.

Provides casework and counseling services to clients and members of their families to aid them in
achieving a more satisfactory adjustment to their specific problems or situations.

Provides protective and supportive services for abused or neglected children and adults.

Prepares documents and provides testimony in court according to agency procedure.

Provides protective and supportive services for clients who are in situations detrimental to their well-
being or that of the community, or who are undergoing treatment or hospitalization.

Participates in team meetings for the purpose of developing service plans to address the needs of clients
and their families.

Continually assesses the adequacy of client service plans and revises, when necessary, to achieve goals
and objectives.

Identifies appropriate community resources for clients, refers and links them to those resources, and
advocates on behalf of client for resource service delivery.

Works collaboratively with social agencies, hospitals, clinics, courts, and other community resources.

Teaches clients home and budget management, child/adult care, and parenting skills; and assists with
housing, employment, recreation and living arrangements, as required.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 61


Interprets agency programs, policies, and procedures to individuals, groups, and other agencies.

Attends staff meetings, individual and group supervisory conferences, and training programs designed
to develop performance and case management skills and that continuously familiarize staff with current
methods and techniques in the field of social services.

Documents case activity through records, social studies, case histories, correspondence, and reports
according to applicable policies and procedures.

May supervise paraprofessional and/or clerical staff.

May serve as a lead worker for professional staff and student interns.

Performs related work as required.

Required Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of current social case management principles,
techniques, and methods.

Knowledge of current social, economic, and health problems and resources and the recognition of their
impact on the growth and development of people.

Knowledge of individual and group development and behavior and ways of working effectively with
adults and children who have social, economic, emotional, or health problems.

Knowledge of the basic principles and methods of program interpretation and community organization.

Knowledge of social welfare policy and law as they relate to agency function and purpose and societal
structures.

Ability to work effectively with people and aid them to grow in the constructive use of their potential in
adjusting to their specific problems.

Ability to understand and accept the needs and rights of others and to work with adults and children
who are physically challenged, emotionally troubled, or economically disadvantaged.

Ability to conduct individual and family interviews and to use them to identify individual and family
problems.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, their families, other staff,
outside agencies and institutions, and the general public.

Ability to plan and organize work, prepare adequate records and reports, set priorities, and maintain a
caseload in an effective and timely manner.

Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of others.

Ability to interpret and apply relevant laws, regulations, and policies governing agency services.

Ability to adequately express ideas orally and in writing.

Minimum Experience and Training: Six months of experience as a County Caseworker 1;

or

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 62


Successful completion of the County Social Casework Intern program;

or

A bachelor's degree with a social welfare major;

or

A bachelor's degree which includes or is supplemented by 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare,
psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social sciences and one year of professional
social casework experience in a public or private social services agency;

or

Any equivalent combination of experience and training which includes 12 college credits in sociology,
social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social sciences.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 63


COUNTY CASEWORK SUPERVISOR

NATURE OF WORK

This is professional social service work of a supervisory nature. Employees supervise the provision of
case management services to children, youth and families; persons with physical, mental and/or
developmental disabilities; and others, to assist them in attaining a more satisfactory social, economic,
emotional or physical adjustment. The work involves supervising and training a small group of
professional social service workers, paraprofessionals and clerical staff. An employee may also carry a
caseload.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

You may be tested before your qualifications are reviewed. Your test results will count only if you meet
all job requirements. If after reading the requirements you are not sure you qualify, contact one of the
Commission's offices listed at the end of this announcement.

You must be a Pennsylvania resident, of good moral character and able to perform the essential
functions of the job.

Some of the positions in this job title come under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law. If
you are a final candidate for one of these positions, you will have to provide reports on your background
from such sources as the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Public
Welfare. If your background is unacceptable, you will be disqualified for employment in such
positions. You will receive information about these requirements and how to obtain the required
reports at the time you are being considered for employment.

Some of the positions in this job title come under the provisions of the Older Adults Protective Services
Act. If you are a final candidate for one of these positions, you will have to obtain a report of criminal
record information from the Pennsylvania State Police or a statement that the State Police Central
Repository contains no information relating to you. If you are currently a Pennsylvania resident and a
final candidate but have not been a resident for two years prior to the date that you received
notification that you are a final candidate, you are also required to furnish a report of Federal Criminal
History Record Information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If your background is
unacceptable, you will be disqualified for employment in such positions. You will receive information
about this requirement and how to obtain the required reports at the time you are being considered for
employment.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 64


Minimum Requirements:

Two years of professional experience in public or private social work and a bachelor's degree with major
coursework in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social
sciences;

OR an equivalent combination of experience and education, which includes 12 college credits in


sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social sciences.

Clarification of Requirements:

The equivalency statement under "Minimum Requirements" means that related advanced education
may be substituted for a segment of the experience requirement and related experience may be
substituted for required education, except for 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology,
gerontology, criminal justice or other related social sciences. Unrelated experience or education will not
be accepted.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 65


Appendix B

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State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 69
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State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 71
State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 72
State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 73
State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 74
State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 75
Appendix C

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 76


During a visit to one county CYS agency for this report, a veteran worker took the time to create a list of
the changes she felt were necessary to improve Pennsylvanias child-welfare system. Here are her
words:

The system

The system doesnt work. We are not breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect. We are still
seeing generations of the same families presenting with neglect and abuse issues.
Additional paperwork does NOT ensure childrens safety. It only creates situations where
caseworkers have less time to do direct services with clients and ultimately places children at
higher risk of abuse/neglect.
There are unrealistic expectations. It is impossible for a CYS worker to complete everything that
he/she is expected to do with the expectation that it all be done well. It doesnt matter how
experienced or well-trained a worker is, one person can only accomplish so much within a work
day.
Continuing to expand what is expected of CYS agencies without providing them with the
resources to do so only sets up a system where the quality of services is poor.

Reduction of paperwork

Paperwork should not be redundant. The Safety Assessment and Risk Assessment need to be
made into one form. The areas (drug and alcohol, domestic violence, housing, etc.) being
assessed are similar, so workers are unnecessarily documenting information twice.
If there are 5 children and 5 different allegations, then there are 25 allegations listed within
CAPS. CWIS/CAPS needs to be redesigned so that when there are 5 children with the same
allegation (such as inadequate hygiene) that it isnt inserted 5 different times (once for each
child) into CAPS. There should be one allegation that enables more than one person to be
attached to it. It is time consuming to complete the way it is currently set up.
If it is evident that ChildLine forwarded a report to law enforcement, then CYS should not have
to forward the same report to law enforcement again. Of course, there would still be contact
between CYS and LEO for investigative purposes. CYS would just not be wasting time doing a
task that was already done by ChildLine.

The laws

Laws need to be geared toward ensuring childrens safety. Documentation does not ensure
childrens safety; it only explains what actions were and were not taken that is, if the worker
even has time to provide thorough, detailed documentation.
Current laws do not ensure childrens safety from known sexual offenders. Megans Law doesnt
prohibit offenders from residing with children. There are often no criminal stipulations for
criminally convicted sex offenders not to reside with children or not to be alone with children.
There are no laws which would prohibit a judge from giving a sexual offender house arrest
within a home where children reside. Even the CPS law (which is geared to ensure childrens
safety from their inappropriate caregivers) fails to recognize a Tier II or Tier III sexual offender
having unsupervised contact with their own child as a form of child abuse.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 77


o Laws should assist CYS in ensuring childrens safety from known sexual offenders.
Instead, we hear convicted sex offenders state that their parole officer and the criminal
court know they are living with children and are OK with it.
The laws put up barriers to conducting thorough investigations/assessments. In order for CYS to
obtain collateral information on a family, the family needs to sign releases to consent for this
information to be disclosed. The parents/caregivers have the right to refuse to sign releases to
consent for this information to be disclosed. Without this information, CYS is unable to fully and
accurately assess if concerns exist. Sometimes families only cooperate just enough to make it
difficult to justify filing a court petition to compel. Also, petitions to compel cooperation are
time-consuming and delay the overall investigation/assessment into the childrens safety and
well-being.
o Even with a signed release, drug and alcohol treatment providers only provide CYS with
limited information due to their confidentiality laws. With the rise in drug abuse issues,
there should be more open communication by these providers. We should be working
together to help resolve issues.
o There is nothing to compel providers to respond to these releases or to respond in a
timely manner. Sometimes CYS receives nothing back from a release or receives the
information way past the 60-day timeframe in which the investigation is to be
completed. Making additional phone calls to attempt to get the information within the
60-day investigative timeframe can be time-consuming.
Parents of drug-exposed infants often do not want to let their child have an Ages and Stages
assessment. These children are at higher risk for having developmental delays and therefore
should be assessed for developmental services. However, there is nothing in place to compel
these parents to do so.
Some laws could be geared toward increasing the responsibilities of parents, the criminal justice
system, and other service providers instead of solely relying on an overburdened CYS system.

Training

Caseworkers seem ill prepared for this job, even after completing Charting the Course.
There should be tests attached to the trainings regarding the laws and regulations to ensure
that the worker knows this information. Yes, it would require that they actually study the
information and then hopefully retain it. In order to do a good job, they need to know the laws
that apply to this job.
More trainings should be interactive simulations of real situations such as the safety training or
training where workers interview real children, not other caseworkers who are pretending to be
children.
Field training and hands-on training is extremely valuable. Therefore, a lot of training should
involve the new caseworkers shadowing other experienced caseworkers in the field and learning
the paperwork process this way as well. The more-experienced worker would be role-modeling
for the newer worker. They would be completing the paperwork together. The new worker
would then gradually start taking the lead in the field and completing the paperwork with the
more-experienced worker overseeing this.
There needs to be some upfront training on how to de-escalate hostile individuals and training
on strategies/methods to gain the clients cooperation and commitment to making changes.

State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 78


Dealing with hostile individuals is not only a safety issue, but it impacts workers emotionally.
Gaining the clients cooperation and commitment in making changes is key to resolving
neglect/abuse issues.
Just when workers feel like they know that the guidelines/laws/regulations/policies are, they
change again.

Retention

This job is not for everyone, no matter how much training or what type of training is given.
Workers feel overwhelmed for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to dealing with
hostile individuals, having many time constraints/due dates for completion of tasks, having so
many job tasks that they cant keep up, not being able to complete one task before some else
needs their immediate attention, working long hours, and worrying if all the right decisions were
made to ensure a childs safety. You see people at their worst, and it has an emotional toll on
you. It is easy to become burnt out very quickly.
Some staff (caseworkers and supervisors) do paperwork on their own time in order to keep up.
No one is asked to work for free, but it is occurring. Adding extra hours to your day can be tiring,
but knowing youre behind in your paperwork is also emotionally draining.
Workloads need to be manageable for both caseworkers and supervisors. Supervisory staff is
also overwhelmed with their workloads and have difficulty keeping up.
o It is difficult to give everything the attention it needs. It can be difficult to spend quality
time in direct supervision with caseworkers due to the extensive workloads of both the
caseworker and the supervisor.
o Sometimes supervisors are doing casework due to the agency being understaffed, or
there being no available caseworker at that time to handle that particular situation, or
the assigned caseworker does not have the time to complete a task on time.
It is a vicious cycle when workers quit due to being overwhelmed, thus leaving the remaining
workers with even more tasks to complete and feeling even more overwhelmed than they
already were, resulting in additional workers wanting to quit. We very rarely are functioning at
full staff.
A caseworker who no longer works here said, A supervisor can either make you or break you
here. A supportive supervisory staff can help improve job satisfaction. At times, it can be a
difficult balancing act to be supportive while at the same time ensuring that the necessary steps
are being taken to assess/address childrens safety/well-being and ensuring that regulatory
requirements are met.
Positive attitudes need to be presented from management. Grumpiness and negativity is
contagious.

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State of the Child A special report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale 80
http://www.paauditor.gov/

STATE of the

CHILD
A special report by
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale

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